Waterfall Fire Reporters' Journal - Thursday, July 15

11:49 p.m. Thursday

-Six homes have been lost in Timberline bringing the two-day total to 14. Revised numbers were released at 11:30 p.m. by the Sierra Front Inter Agency Dispatch Center.

-A Type I Management Team will take over at 6 a.m. They are among the best in the U.S.

-Fire size was also reduced to 7,200 acres, with 30 percent containment. Containment estimated on July 25.

8:54 p.m.

-Mandatory evacuations removed from all but the Kings Canyon, Lakeview and Timberline areas.

8:44 p.m.

-Fire has not crossed Highway 395, reports F.T. Norton from North Carson.

8:33 p.m.

-Silver Oak residents are being allowed to return home. Timberline remains in active fire and residents are under a mandatory evacuation order.

8:28

-Spot fire east of Highway 395, reported by Nevada Appeal employee, remains unconfirmed by authorities at this time.

8:02 p.m.

-Fire is burning between homes on Numanga Pass and Hobart Road. An engine is stationed at each house and crews are actively battling the blaze. So far only an outbuilding has been lost.

-A spot fire has also been sighted on Duck Hill, on the east side of Highway 395 and north of Arrowhead.

7:53 p.m.

-Gov. Kenny Guinn is touring the fire scene. Governor's Office of Emergency Services crews are doing mop up work in Lakeview. No homes appear to have been lost.

-Fire is burning above and west of Lakeview at this time.

6:56 p.m.

-At one home in Timberline all that's left is the Koi pond, the 20 or so Koi survived.

-Utility companies including Southwest Gas are in Timberline where gas lines are broken and flaming like torches, shuting the supply off.

6:53 p.m.

-Traffic is backed up over Geiger Grade. From the bottom of the grade it takes an hour to get to Mound House.

6:47 p.m.

-Homes have been damaged in Lakeview but no homes have been lost. Updated estimates bring losses in Timberline at about a dozen.

-Tahoe Douglas firefighters are on their way

6:43 p.m.

-Fire crews are staging on the east side of Highway 395 on Duck Hill.

-Silver Oak and Pin Oak have been ordered to evacuate.

6:18 p.m.

-The pet shelter has not moved to Fuji Park and remains at Fritsch Elementary School.

6:12 p.m.

According to Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong, fire is burning on the ground and in the trees in the Lakeview area.

6:03 p.m.

-The hill above Silver Oak Golf Course and the Eagle Valley Children's Home parallel to the V&T bike path is burning.

-Traffic is backed up to Highway 50 on College Parkway and E. Graves Lane.

5:59 p.m.

Highway 395 is closed from Bowers Mansion to College Parkway.

5:57 p.m.

-Appeal reporter Karl Horeis said Traffic is visible in both directions at Highway 50 and Graves Lane. Traffic is stalled going east on Highway 50. "It's hardly moving at all toward Mound House. Fire engines are coming in from the east. Traffic is backed up to the west. "The city is all smoky. It's a mess everywhere. It's basically bumper to bumper from Carson Street to Virginia City I would think," he said. "It's nasty. Smoke is billowing right across the area." From the Geiger Grade end traffic seems to be moving OK, said April Conway.

5:25 p.m.

-Reporting from Timberline, F.T. Norton said "the fire's ravaged Timberline Drive. At least a half dozen homes are gone. Crews are frantically working to save those that remain standing. It's burned through. Timberline is no longer in jeopardy, because it's burned out. But there are still properties in danger from fire surrounding the area.

5:21

-F.T. Norton said there are "hundreds of fire personnel in Timberline building fire lines and protecting homes."

-Appeal photographer Cathleen Allison said "it's chaos."

5:15 p.m.

-Appeal reporter F.T. Norton said nine school buses are evacuating residents from the Evergreen Health and Rehabilitation Center at 3050 Ormsby Boulevard.

-Appeal photographer Cathleen Allison said no homes were lost in Combs Canyon.

5:07 p.m.

-Pet shelter moved from Fritsch Elementary School to Fuji Park on Old Clear Creek Road. Fritsch now an official Red Cross Evacuation shelter.

5:05 p.m.

-Evergreen Care Center evacuated.

4:38 p.m.

-Carson City District Attorney rules mandatory evacuation means sheriff's department can remove residents.

-"It's like a smoke storm up hear. You can't see anything," F.T. Norton

4:34 p.m.

-Eight homes have been lost in Lakeview. About 500 homes threatened. Area plagued by spot fires.

4:24 p.m.

-All areas west of WNCC have been added to the mandatory evacuation list including the areas of Timberline, Lakeview and Franktown.

-Carson City Toyota, 3659S. Carson St., is taking donations for firefighters. Drop off water, Gatorade, non-perishable food items, granola bars, jerky, toiletries, deodorant, sun screen, chap stick, tents.

4:04 p.m.

-Mandatory evacuations issued in Timberline and Lakeview

-report that fire has grown to 9,500 acres

-fire 1/4 mile from Combs and Highway 395

4:01 p.m.

-Fire on both sides of firefighters in Timberline.

3:46 p.m.

At least two residents of Timberline escaped a few minutes ago with only the clothes on their backs while their house started burning.

3:38 p.m.

-"I expect will lose another half dozen if not more houses," Appeal photographer Cathleen Allison, standing in Lakeview.

-Evergreen Care Center on Ormsby Boulevard is not in danger, but they are prepared to leave if necessary.

-Highway 395 closed through Washoe Valley due to smoke.

3:34 p.m.

Houses involved in Lakeview.

-Carson's water supply holding just fine, Andy Burnham, development services director.

3:32 p.m.

-Fire alarm reported in Timberline.

3:31 p.m.

-Getting some pretty heavy spotting here at the top of Combs. "It's going to get pretty nasty in here."

3:30

-"This thing is flying," Appeal photographer Cathleen Allison, who is in Lakeview and Pinecone Circle. "It's probably a mile away, but it's moving faster that they expected. They thought it would take them an hour to get here. But it took only 15 minutes."

3:22 p.m.

-Fire has broken over ridge and is starting to enter Timberline.

3:15 p.m.

-Sheriff's units ordered to leave Timberline

3:07 p.m.

-Residents living on Lakeview and Timberline evacuated.

-Carson City structure engines being sent to Lakeview.

2:13 p.m.

-Fire reported coming down the ridge at Timberline

1:46 p.m.

-A Town Hall meeting has been set for 9 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Carson City Community Center to brief residents on events and activities related to the Waterfall fire. Officials from the Carson City Fire Department, Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service will be on hand to answer questions. The community center is at 851 E. William St. Call 887-2100.

-Western Nevada Community College will be closed until Monday. Douglas and Fallon campuses will be open.

1:25 p.m.

-Fire agencies have ordered 39 hand crews to fight the Waterfall fire " the most ever requested to fight a wildland in the country.

"We've set a new record on this fire," said Kim Toulouse, state emergency operation center spokesman. "It's never been done before in the country."

Hand crews experienced all over the county in wildland fire fighting are needed to trek by foot into the inaccessible , steep terrain, Toulouse said.

Also, a team of Type 1 national wildland fire experts are expected to take over command at 6 p.m.

12:33 p.m.

-Reports of multiple small fires flaring up throughout the burn area

11:56 a.m.

-Report of a house fire rekindled on Kings Canyon Road

-26 aircraft fighting fire, 2 military choppers on the way

-32 hand crews, nearly 900 firefighters

11:06 a.m. today

-Kings Canyon residents allowed in to check property and then leave.

-Utility companies allowed in

8:45 a.m.

-8,500 acres burned, 0 percent containment

-850 firefighters on the scene

-Nine homes, two businesses, eight vehicles destroyed

-Four firefighters, 1 civilian injured