Fundraiser begun for family who lost home in Spring Valley fire

A fundraiser has been established for a Topaz volunteer firefighter and his family who lost their home in the Spring Valley Fire.

Eric Wilson, wife Christine and father Shawn McLaughlin’s home was the only one destroyed in the July 16 fire that raged through the neighborhood.

“Due to strong winds and dry conditions, the fire spread rapidly, engulfing the first home in its path,” fundraiser Laura Thompson said. “The residents had no warning and narrowly escaped with their lives. Tragically, they lost everything except the clothes on their backs, their dog, and their pickup truck.”

Their home on Spring Valley Road was in the direct path of the fire but was confirmed lost on the first day.

“Eric is a dedicated volunteer firefighter with the Topaz Volunteer Fire Department, Station 5,” Thompson said. “While the Wilsons have insurance, it won't cover all of their losses.”

The East Fork Volunteer Fire Fighter Association has established a Gofundme account for the family.

At 229 acres, the fire was briefly the largest in Nevada.

At its height, the fire threatened 1,200-1,500 homes across Double Spring, Holbrook Junction and Topaz Ranch Estates.

The fire was first reported at 4 p.m. July 16 when a caller indicated the trees were on fire in the middle of the neighborhood on the southern edge of Double Spring Flat. Firefighters responding from Topaz Ranch Estates reported seeing the plume from the station on Albite. Black smoke could be seen rising out of the Pine Nuts from as far away as Genoa.

Deputies and members of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team went door to door to alert residents to the fire.

The fire crossed Highway 395 and burned into an area on the north side that had been involved in the Tamarack Fire.

More than 200 firefighters in 40 engines were aided by a substantial air attack, including single-engine tankers and helicopters.

The fire occurred three years to the day that the Tamarack Fire picked up and threatened Markleeville before burning over the Nevada state line in Double Spring, claiming several homes along the Highway 395 corridor.