The remains of a side-by-side that caught fire and burned in the Pine Nuts northeast of Fish Springs on Saturday.
East Fork and federal firefighters responded to a wildfire along Highway 395 on Jake’s Hill around 3 p.m. Monday.
The .9-acre fire resulted in the southbound lanes of Highway 395 being shut down so firefighters could extinguish it. They had the forward progress stopped in 30 minutes and turned it over to the U.S. Forest Service crew out of Ruhenstroth. Full containment was reported at 4:20 p.m.
That was 10 minutes after a crash in the northbound lanes of Highway 395 near Stodick Parkway where a passenger vehicle rear-ended a semi and left fluids all over the highway.
A side-by-side caught fire in the Pine Nuts leaving a big black spot in the wildland northeast of Fish Springs around 5 p.m. Saturday.
Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocate’s Mary Cioffi said it was part of the horse’s range. The vehicle had a fire extinguisher that was still bolted to the frame, according to photographer JT Humphrey.
“We are seeing above normal grass growth resulting from above-normal precipitation this last winter and spring.” said BLM Carson City District Fire Management Officer Jonathan Palma. “Because of this and recent temperatures 10-15 degrees higher than normal, the risk for wildfire is escalating quickly. Wildfires in western Nevada can move very fast in dry grass and preparedness is everything.”
The following precautions should always be taken to prevent wildfires:
• Never leave a campfire unattended. Extinguish all campfires completely and stir ashes to make sure no hot coals remain and always make sure they are dead out.
• Dispose of cigarettes in proper containers away from any flammable material.
• If off-road vehicle use is allowed, internal combustion equipment should have a spark arrester.
• Avoid driving though dry vegetation or parking your vehicle in high grass or dry vegetation.
• Never use stoves, lanterns or heaters inside a tent.
• Store flammable liquid containers in a safe place.
• Do not shoot tracer bullets or incendiary ammunition.
• Do not shoot in areas of dry fuels especially in times of extreme conditions such as red flag warnings.
• Shoot only at cardboard or paper targets or manufactured thrown-type clay targets.
• Remember, shots fired across open desert can travel more than a mile and can cause a wildfire.
At the first sign of a wildfire, contact Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center at 775-883-5995 or call 911.
In collaboration with local wildfire cooperators, the Carson City BLM District will monitor fuels conditions and the potential need for fire restrictions as the season progresses.
