Fire crews in Washoe County, Nevada, continued efforts to contain a destructive wildfire on Tuesday, Sept. 10, as a Fire Weather Warning was ongoing in the region.
RENO, Nev. – The Davis Fire is continuing to burn in western Nevada, prompting fears that weather conditions will cause new fires to ignite near Reno.
Since its start on Saturday, the wildfire has burned 5,596 acres and prompted evacuations for thousands of people in Washoe County, Nevada.
The National Weather Service in Reno issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Fire Weather Warning for western Nevada from 11 a.m. PT to 8 p.m. PT Wednesday because of strong winds and low humidity at risk of creating perfect conditions for rapid fire growth. Wind gusts into the area of the Davis Fire on Wednesday could reach up to 40 mph.
The main concern is that strong wind gusts on Wednesday will blow the embers from the Davis Fire northeastward toward Reno, potentially starting new fires within the metro area.
This is the first “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Fire Weather Warning issued for Reno seen since September 2019, NWS Reno said on X, formerly known as Twitter. It is only the sixth time in Reno’s history to receive such a warning.
There are more than 400 fire personnel fighting the Davis Fire as of Tuesday. The fire is still 0% contained.
On Sunday, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a state of emergency declaration due to the Davis Fire’s impact on residents of Washoe County.
The Southwest Incident Management Team, who is leading operations for the Davis Fire, said in a Tuesday afternoon update that the fire has not spread west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Weather conditions are expected to improve on Thursday, with lighter winds and higher relative humidity. The next chance for stronger winds comes over the weekend.