An East Fork firefighter checks on the interior of a home on Bishop's Circle in Kings Lane on Saturday morning.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
Fire claimed a home in Gardnerville’s Kings Lane neighborhood after a gas line broke just after midnight Saturday.
“The initial fire started from something that fell on the meter and broke the gas line open and ignited a fire.” East Fork Battalion Chief Troy Valenzuela said at the scene.
Firefighters received the initial call at 1345 Bishop’s Circle at 12:10 a.m. and were there for nearly four hours.
He said weather-related debris fell on the line and created a large fire on the outside of the home.
“As firefighters arrived, the fire was spreading quickly to the structure and surrounding vegetation,” he said. “First arriving companies engaged in an aggressive fire attack and were able to extinguish the fire quickly with limited damage to the structure despite challenging conditions with deep snow and ice in the immediate area.”
After clearing the scene, firefighters were called back to the address at around 6 a.m. after the fire reignited.
“On arrival, firefighters found a large growing fire with threats to nearby residences,” Valenzuela said. “Firefighters once again were able to contain the fire to the building of origin with no damage to other structures. East Fork firefighters worked again for several hours to completely extinguish the blaze. Two minor injuries to firefighters were reported.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
“East Fork Fire would like to remind all residents to be aware of the potential for falling snow and ice or other debris and to be vigilant with clearing around power and gas utility devices,” Valenzuela said. “Utility areas should remain as clean and accessible as possible to decrease the risk of falling debris from above creating higher hazards.”
The occupants of the home were sheltered at the Carson Valley Inn by the American Red Cross.
Firefighters cleared the scene around 12:20 p.m. Saturday.
