topaz lake

UPDATE 8:15PM: The Mountain View Fire is currently burning around the community of Walker. Due to the fast moving nature of the fire, an Evacuation Order has been issued for the Walker, Coleville and Topaz areas, and US 395 is still closed from Bridgeport to the Nevada state line. There is 0 percent containment and 5,000 acres burned according to Inci-web. Liberty Utilities has de-energized the communities of Walker and Coleville up to Topaz at the state line for safety precautions. Liberty is working with all emergency agencies and will safely restore power when possible.

The Fork Fire burning west of Lake Tahoe, north of Pollock Pines continues to be 1,752 acres in size but is now 61 percent contained. The Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4 has been in command of the Fork Fire since September 11 and will be handing that duty over to another team on Thursday, September 24.

The containment lines are to the north, east and south sides of the Fork Fire and fire continues to burn in the steep Rubicon drainage area.

351 personnel are assigned to the fire at this time.

There are over 40 major fires currently burning in California, filling skies with heavy smoke from the ocean to the Sierra up and down the state. While there are no fires in the Lake Tahoe Basin, there are a few close enough to be responsible for sending smoke into the region. The closest is the Fork Fire east of Lake Tahoe about 13 miles northeast of Pollock Pines. To the south is the Slink Fire and northwest is the large North Complex.

Fork Fire

Statistics on the Fork Fire have not been updated all day. As of 11:00 a.m. Wednesday the estimated size was 2,500 acres.

The Slink Fire burning in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness area of the Humboldt-Toiyable National Forest and Stanislaus National Forest area. So far, 20,795 acres have burned and the 679 personnel on the fire have it 31 percent contained.

The fire started Saturday, August 29 at approximately 6:00 p.m. and it is lightning caused and burning two miles west of the town of Coleville.

There was increased fire behavior Sunday in timber strands. In the area are Ponderosa Pine, Pinyon-Juniper and mixed conifer.

SUNDAY UPDATE 11:00 a.m.: Eight hundred personnel are currently fighting the Creek Fire which has grown to 45,500 acres.

The Creek Fire a fast-moving fire burning on both Districts of the Forest. The fire which started near the communities of Big Creek and Huntington Lake, moved very quickly prompting several evacuations. Early Saturday afternoon the fire crossed the San Joaquin River and made a run into the Mammoth Pool area. Prompting some members of the public to shelter in place near Wagner’s Store and Campground.

Smoke from the fires burning north of Lake Tahoe continue to fill the area Sunday morning. The Sheep Fire near Honey Lake is 29,517 acres and 38 percent contained, the Loyalton Fire is at 98 percent containment and 47,029 acres. The North Complex burning in Lassen and Plumas forests is 61,093 acres and 37 percent contained.

Did you feel it? There was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake near Lone Pine and Owen's Lake at 10:40 a.m. Wednesday with reports of it being felt in South Lake Tahoe. It was followed by 3.7, 3.6 and 4.7 aftershocks in the first 19 minutes after the main event.

There has been a lot of seismic activity from south of Topaz Lake and the Mammoth Lake area south to Tonopah over the last several weeks.

There will be more information added to this story as it is made available.

Single lane closures will be in place on State Route 28 in Crystal Bay on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe on Thursday, Nov. 14 as the Nevada Department of Transportation installs a new “Welcome to Nevada” monument.

Single lane closures will take place between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. near the intersection of SR28 and Stateline Road in Crystal Bay. Drivers should anticipate moderate travel delays as traffic flaggers and pilot cars alternate both directions of traffic through the work zone.

Beginning Oct. 6, exit numbers on the Interstate 580 Carson City Freeway will change as part of a Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) project to resurface and enhance the interstate.

The current exit numbers range from 38 to 42, and through the coming week will be replaced with new, lower exit numbers corresponding with roadway mileage as follows:

Fairview Drive - Exit 3
U.S. 50/Willian Street - Exit 5
College Parkway - Exit 6
Arrowhead Drive - Exit 7

UDPATE 1/13/19 - The second drowning victim has been recovered from Topaz Lake. The recovery efforts resumed today on at 9:00 a.m. by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Marine 7 and search and rescue units, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Specialized Vehicle Unit (SUV) and their HASTY Dive Team, and Wardens from the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. Marine 7’s ROV located the body of Jesse Gregory, 50, at a depth of 22 feet.

The surviving fisherman, Scott Wise, has recovered and was released from the hospital.

9:30 p.m. update: The Boot Fire has grown to 4,620 acres with 0 percent containment. Evacuations and road closures continue to grow.

To help achieve Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows’ goal to be powered by 100 percent clean, renewable energy sources, Liberty Utilities, the electric service provider in the Lake Tahoe region of California, is actively collaborating with resort leadership to identify and develop new renewable energy generation, storage and energy efficiency projects to benefit the Olympic Valley and surrounding areas. Subject to regulatory approval, the two companies intend to achieve the resort’s 100 percent renewable goal as early as December 2018.

Hello fellow anglers, it is that time of year to celebrate the new year and the Topaz Lake opening day fishing season. On Monday, Jan. 1, 2018 at precisely 6:46 a.m. will be the official starting time for anglers to begin fishing on Topaz Lake.

For those of you driving out that morning, be careful and mindful of other drivers on the road that have might celebrated to much the night before.

The have been eight tremblers in the Mammoth Lakes / Mono Lake area in the last 12 hours, the smallest measured 1.2 on the Richter Scale, the largest at 3.7, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory on the UNR campus.

This area is a very active earthquake area, with swarms not unusual as it is one of the most seismically active volcanic regions in California. In 2014, there were more than 600 registered earthquakes in Mammoth in 36 hours.

The Slinkard Fire is currently located on the west slope of Antelope Valley, west of Topaz Lake and eight miles north of Walker, Calif. After being started by lightning on August 29, it has burned through cheat grass, sagebrush and pinyon/juniper.

418 firefighting crew members are working the fire which is located in Alpine and Mono counties in California and Douglas County in Nevada.

UPDATE 3:30PM - Residents with proper identification will be allowed to pass through closed highway areas in Topaz Estates and north of the fire. School buses will be running as normal for Thursday afternoon.

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The Nevada Highway Patrol and California Hwy Patrol are working traffic control for the Slinkard Fire in Topaz near the Nevada and California state line.

North of the fire, Hwy 395 is closed in both directions at Leviathan Mine Road, which is south of Gardnerville, Nevada.

South of the fire, Hwy 395 is closed in both directions at Hwy 182 in Bridgeport, Calif.

Douglas County, Nevada is filled with exciting, fantastic and vibrant people. Individuals from around the world come to Douglas County to experience wonderful events that locals experience annually. A website called Douglas Diaries was created by Pierce Baker, Public Information Officer Intern, as a gateway to highlight individuals in Douglas County and their interesting stories.

9:30 p.m. update - Highway 395 has reopened in both directions after firefighters got the upper hand on the Topaz Fire which burned 8 acres between Topaz Lake and the highway near Topaz Lodge. One outbuilding burned. 4 engines will remain on the fire overnight. No containment has been listed at this time. Jurisdiction is East Fork Fire Protection District.

A dog's life was tragically taken in Topaz Lake after being pulled into a whirlpool drain on Saturday while attempting to retrieve a stick.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident and the loss of the dog," said Melissa Blosser, Public Information Office for Douglas County. "We immediately reached out to the owner of the animal to find out what happened and express condolences."

Over a dozen earthquakes have struck the region Wednesday, the largest being a magnitude 3.0, at 7:22 a.m. according to the Nevada Seismological Lab.

A 2.4 magnitude earthquake was registered at 7:23 a.m. followed by a 2.0, also at 7:23 a.m. and a 1.2 at 7:44 a.m. The earthquakes were centered around 9 miles southeast of Carson City. The other five in that area ranged in magnitude from .1 to 1.2.

There was a small .1 quake near Carnelian Bay at 9:39 a.m. Wednesday, followed by two at Topaz Lake and one in Reno.

1:35 p.m. update on 6/23/15

The fire figures were updated this afternoon. At 8 a.m. they report almost 16,000 acres, then downsized a bit at noon to 13,562 after analyzing infrared reports. The 1:35 p.m. update is as follows:

The Washington Fire is actively burning. It is spreading due to both fuel-and-slope-driven forces and in some some drainages off of the East Fork Carson River. It has also spread to the north and to the east.

Fire is burning in hazardous and inaccessible terrain and approaching an increasing number of structures and impacting travel corridors.

For the past year, Terri Arnold of South Lake Tahoe has been creating promotional videos for the Carson Valley Story Teller series. Each of the nine completed videos (three are still in post production), show Arnold as she shows viewers all they can do in the area. She doesn't show you in the normal way either, everything is done while on a horse named Meha. They can all be seen on the Carson Valley Visitor Authority's You Tube page.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in the Sierra, Northern California and Nevada. This report is for the week of Aug. 28 through Labor Day. Don't forget, California's second free day of fishing without a license will be Saturday, Sept. 7.

Here’s an advance notice of something very special in the outdoor world that will occur in just a few days: Draw a great big red circle around the date of Saturday, June 8 on your calendar and then plan to have a fun-filled day in the Great Outdoors.

June 8 is Nevada’s Free Fishing Day for the year 2013. On that day, you can fish anywhere you want, and not need a Nevada fishing license or a Nevada Trout Stamp or a Nevada Second Rod Stamp.