When sagebrush and light grass were noticed burning near Wiseman Lane and Highway 395 south of Gardnerville Saturday afternoon, residents and passersby moved quickly to battle the blaze.
Douglas County Deputy Fire Marshal Steve Eisely said the residents and passersby used shovels and garden hoses to help contain the fire as fire crews were dispatched.
The 1 p.m. fire, the cause of which remains under investigation, burned about three quarters of an acre before it was contained an hour later, Eisely said. Simultaneous to the start of the fire, a power outage occurred at nearby residences. It is unclear whether the two are related.
Eisely said five engines responded to the fire.
Radio communications by fire dispatchers indicated that several other fire crews and pieces of equipment also were initially dispatched to the scene, but were called back when the first firefighters arrived and officials at the scene determined more assistance was not needed.
