Memories of the fire

Like this time last week, I'm having trouble thinking of entertainment because of the Waterfall fire. Images are burned in my mind even though I got out easy - my home was safe.

I remember the massive cloud of smoke billowing from C Hill on Wednesday evening. That night, a voice on the police scanner said the fire had jumped Curry Street and was heading east. Thank heavens that wasn't the case.

I remember the surreal scene at the high school on Friday night when seven satellite news trucks were set up in the parking lot. News anchors - all in yellow fire-proof Nomex shirts - relayed the latest to their audiences in Sacramento, Reno and Las Vegas. They watched themselves on little televisions at their feet so they'd know when they were on screen. Channel 8 showed off its burned SUV. The tires and windows are fine, but the once-white paint looked like a toasted marshmallow.

I remember talking with Rob Darney in the remains of his Kings Canyon home. He talked excitedly about the flying of a single-engine airtanker during the fire.

"You know the pilot of that yellow crop duster?" Darney asked. "He's a hero. I have never seen anybody fly like that. I think he saved at least a couple of houses."

He also praised firefighters on the ground.

"At my neighbors' house, there are burned houses all over the back yard so you know they put up a heck of a fight."

I'm also thinking about "Knolla" the fawn. Firefighters and rescue workers bandaged her hooves after they were scorched in Kings Canyon.

One of the firefighters I interviewed said he took the deer to the shelter run by Carson City Animal Services and "they" told him they would have to put her down. After the story ran, he called to clarify his comments. It turns out the animal services people actually protected the deer from the person who mentioned euthanasia. They are the ones who called the veterinarian to come help her. They also set up and staffed the temporary animal shelter, staying on site for days.

"Every night, I slept there by those dogs," said Carson City Animal Services Education Officer Pat Wiggins. "And all those animals went home to their 'parents.'"

I'm sorry if the story cast a bad light on Animal Services. No one was around when I called the department to confirm that day, and I should have waited to hear from them before running the story.

Wiggins and his staff saved another burned deer on Tuesday night.

"It had been wandering around up there, and its feet finally got bad enough to where he couldn't move anymore," Wiggins said.

Knolla, named for the street on which she was found, is doing well at a wildlife rehabilitation center. Her burned hooves are already showing new growth.

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I have 5 inches left for entertainment. I recommend the following events:

-- A full-moon camp out and live Shakespeare on the Black Rock playa to benefit Friends of Nevada Wilderness on Saturday. The Nevada Shakespeare Company will perform parts of "Macbeth," "A Winter's Tale," "Taming of the Shrew," "Midsummer Night's Dream" and others. Included in the $50 price are a picnic supper, drinks, campfire, bardic circle and sunrise over King Lear Peak. Call 324-4198.

-- Known for having the "fastest feet in tap dance," Sam Weber will perform with the Sierra Nevada Ballet at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Legislature Lawn amphitheater.

-- Sunday, the Mile High Jazz Band will perform at the same time, same place. Friday at 7 p.m., the band Rush Hour will play on Third Street. These free shows are part of redevelopment's Capital City Summer Celebration.

Contact Karl Horeis at khoreis@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.