Holbrook fire cause undetermined

The cause of the Holbrook fire that threatened Topaz Ranch Estates on Sept. 10 is undetermined.

East Fork Fire Investigator Capt. Terry Taylor said that there was no indication that someone caused the fire. He said he brought in two other investigators to look at the cause and neither could determine a definitive cause.

"There was no sign of human negligence at the scene, no footprints, no lightning, no power lines," he said,

Eight handcrews along with air tankers, helicopters, bulldozers and more than a dozen fire engines from as far away as Reno and Lake Tahoe responded to the fire.

The Holbrook fire was first reported at 12:29 p.m. near Pearl and Breccia in Topaz Ranch Estates.

It swept up Gold Hill threatening Holbrook Junction and prompting authorities to warn residents of the trailer park there they might have to evacuate. Thunderstorm cells in the area drove the winds back to the east and the fire threatened the northwest corner of Topaz Ranch Estates.

In addition to East Fork Fire District units, engines from Lake Tahoe, Mono County, Lyon County and even Reno responded to the blaze.

A federal grant through the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been authorized to help reimburse up to 75 percent of the eligible firefighting costs.

According to federal officials, at it's height the fire threatened 850 homes in southern Douglas County. The fire also threatened 10 businesses, local and high transmission power lines, a fire station, a community center, the Douglas County watershed and the San Bruze Habitat area.