Growing wildfires in California forced evacuations as a heat wave Wednesday threatened to make fire conditions worse. In the Midwest, a wildfire kept residents of South Dakota’s second-largest city on edge, ready to flee if flames moved dangerously close.
A blaze near the remote Northern California mountain community of Sierra Brooks was uncontained. Authorities expanded evacuation orders for a total of more than 530 residents Tuesday evening after strong winds pushed flames through dry brush and timber about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Lake Tahoe. The Bear Fire grew to more than 4.7 square miles (12 square kilometers) and sent up a plume of smoke visible some 25 miles (40 kilometers) away in Reno, Nevada.
“Due to steep and rocky terrain, crews have experienced difficulty in gaining access to some areas of the fire, slowing progress,” the U.S. Forest Service said in a statement. Flames damaged power lines, knocking out electricity to more than 750 residents, the service said.
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In central California, firefighters working in triple-digit temperatures were battling a blaze that scorched more than 17 square miles (44 square kilometers) of dry brush in mostly open space. A handful of homes were evacuated outside of Coalinga in Fresno County. The Boone Fire was 5% contained Wednesday.
Across the state, red flag warnings for increased wildfire risk were issued. The desert communities of Palm Springs, Twentynine Palms, Needles and Barstow were heating up, with highs of up to 118 F (47.7 Celsius) in Death Valley’s Furnace Creek expected at week’s end.
In Southern California’s Santa Barbara County, officials issued a health alert due to spiking temperatures in inland areas. The health department urged residents to stay indoors during the day and take other measures to avoid heat-related illnesses. Cooling centers were set up across Los Angeles County.
The wildfire news was better in South Dakota: The battle to contain the First Thunder Fire got a boost Wednesday from cooler weather and lighter winds. Officials were optimistic homes in Rapid City would remain safe.
The First Thunder Fire was reported Monday just a few miles (kilometers) from Rapid City, a community of 80,000 residents near Black Hills National Forest. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away, is far out of harm’s way.
The fire burning nearly 160 acres (65 hectares) was fueled by uncommonly hot and dry weather — Tuesday’s high in Rapid City was 96 degrees Fahrenheit (35.6 Celsius), well above the normal early-September high of 75 (23.9 Celsius). Winds gusted to 45 mph (72 kph).
As late as Tuesday evening, residents in an evacuation warning area of Rapid City were being told to pack their bags, gather vital belongings and be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
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By Wednesday morning, the temperature was far cooler, the winds calmer and the air more humid.
“Firefighters got a good handle on the wildfire last night,” an update from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office said. “It’s currently at 157 acres. Weather conditions are very favorable today. They are mopping up a large portion on the west side and are hoping to get everything contained and under control today.”
Officials don’t yet know what caused the fire that burned across a steep, rocky area. No structural damage was immediately reported.
Pennington County, South Dakota, Fire Administrator Jerome Harvey said those residing in the Rapid City area are in a “red zone” where wildfires can occur at virtually any time.
“You need to be prepared for that,” Harvey said at a news conference Tuesday. “These kinds of events can happen on a year-round basis. There is no longer a defined fire season.”
Rapid City Mayor Jason Salamun on Tuesday urged residents to gather up key documents such as birth certificates, Social Security cards and vital financial information, along with cherished photographs and prescriptions.
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Residents in areas near the fire also were urged to have a plan for what to do with pets should evacuations become necessary. A Rapid City animal hospital was prepared to take in small animals. For larger animals, a fairground was set up for displaced livestock.
Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal rollover crash on U.S. 95 Alternate near Lyon County mile marker three between Yerington and Schurz.
The crash happened just after 12 p.m. Friday.
U.S. 95-A is reduced to one lane near mile marker four and traffic is being piloted.
The roadway is expected to remain this way for the next two to three hours.
Details about the crash have not been released. We’ll update this story when we learn more.
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There’s a debate over on Reddit right now about how dogs should be kept on leashes around town, on trails, or anywhere in public that’s not a dog park.
I should clarify: When I say “debate,” I mean that several users have created posts about how dogs should be kept on leashes, and almost every response is 100% in agreement.
Go ahead and look at the posts; nobody’s putting together a spirited defense of letting their pets run around licking strangers and pooping on nature. With that kind of general consensus, I’d want to say that leashing our dogs is one of Reno-Sparks’ “unwritten rules.”
Except for two things: One, this rule is very much written (see Chapter 95.220 of the Washoe County Code: “Owners must have animals leashed no more than 6 feet in length and under immediate control at all times.”)
And also: The phrase “unwritten rules” implies that everyone goes along with it without even thinking. But we’ve all interacted with dog owners on local trails, letting their giant furballs knock over toddlers or chase goslings through the wetlands.
“Aw, he’s just a big puppy!” they’ll say, followed up with a halfhearted, “Down, Barnaby.”
Clearly, leashing dogs is not an unwritten rule because it’s constantly being broken. A true unwritten rule for hiking trails would be something that rarely ever gets broken, like “wear pants at all times.” Really, the leash thing is more like a wish list for society, alongside such things as:
But let’s move on. I’ve been wracking my brain to think of actual “unwritten rules” for Northern Nevada that outsiders might not grasp right away, and I didn’t come up with many. But here goes:
It’s not rude to keep your favorite spots a secret, even from friends and family: Got a favorite local park or Lake Tahoe beach? You’re not even required to tell your own mother about it, because word will get out and everything will be ruined. We value our personal space, and the community is too small to keep anything under wraps.
Side note: You can’t do this with businesses, because you need your burrito spot to stay crowded and busy. If nobody goes to your secret hot springs, it’s not going to suddenly go out of business and turn into a vape shop.
On Tahoe beaches, you can claim one beach towel’s worth of space per person, and that’s it: If word gets out about your favorite beach, you’ll have to start your day battling for a parking spot (bonus unwritten rule: You can’t reserve a parking spot by standing in it.)
The slightly less annoying ― but still difficult ― territory battle will be on the beach itself. Everyone but you will have a pop-up tent, several coolers and some sort of sound system. But societal convention dictates that any group can only claim the square footage of one beach towel per person, and leave ample space to walk between their beach site and the next one over.
Twenty minutes is a long drive in Reno-Sparks, but four hours is completely reasonable if you’re heading out of town: Recent transplants from more urban places like the Bay Area or Las Vegas will drive for 45 minutes to get to the one Target they like best. Around here, that sounds like hell.
On the other hand, driving for several hours to go see ichthyosaur skeletons or attend a Basque festival or go to a Giants game is completely reasonable. I can’t explain why this is. It might have something to do with hatred of stoplights.
Settle in a bit before complaining about outsiders: Yes, we know you just got here, and you want to prove your worthiness by complaining about Californians or Southern Nevadans, because that’s our local sport.
On average, we’re not nearly as closed off as people say; only about one-quarter of Nevadans were actually born here, so most of us know what it’s like to be the new kid. But at least wait until you’ve unloaded the last box from your U-Haul before you start griping about how new arrivals are pricing everyone out.
You, on the other hand ― you, the person reading this article right now! ― know a lot more unwritten rules for Northern Nevada. Either that, or you have ideas on what should be unwritten rules. Send them my way at bmcginness@rgj.com, and we’ll debate all of them next week.
What lost places in Reno-Sparks should we bring back? That’s the question I posed last week; here’s what you said:
Let’s start with department store ShopKo, which had the highly underrated slogan, “Say hello to a good buy.” We had three ― on South Virginia, Mae Anne and Oddie Boulevard. Lauri Ferguson wrote in to compliment the selection, and noted “their products lasted too.” Sadly, the entire chain disappeared nearly a decade ago, so bringing them back might be the heaviest lift ever.
“Bring back Famous Murphy’s,” wrote E. Pollard. “Can’t believe it ever closed and was then bulldozed and has been an empty dirt lot for more than 25 years.”
For the record, it’s actually been 18 years since it closed and 11 years since it was bulldozed, but the point stands.
“The purpose of the demolition is to make way for a new development being planned at this site,” developers told the RGJ in 2015. Anyway, it’s still an empty lot.
And finally, I had lamented over the lost Century Theaters dome on South Virginia, but Kurt Kinder mentioned one even more venerable, but equally lost: the Granada Theater, which originally opened in 1916, burned down in 1953 and reopened in 1954. It was torn down in 1997 and is now the site of the Palladio.
Brett McGinness is the engagement editor for the Reno Gazette Journal. He’s also the writer of The Reno Memo — a free newsletter about news in the Biggest Little City.
Subscribe to the newsletter right here. Consider supporting the Reno Gazette Journal, too.
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