Wildland firefighters work a blaze near Reno, Nevada.
Photo © Stan White
I knew things weren't good in the wildfire department when I rolled back into Reno after a little vacation in the Utah outback. The air was murky and thunderstorms were roiling over the Sierra, which told me that lightning had probably been causing numerous fires. Sure enough, firefighters have been kept busy combating blazes all over the Reno and Lake Tahoe areas. South Lake Tahoe and Markleeville had fires last Friday, both of which were quickly doused. The Wildcat Fire near
Pyramid Lake, started by lightning on Saturday, has blackened over 1000 acres and is still burning The recent heat has been sucking moisture out of the vegetation, adding even more fuel to the situation and causing officials to issue a red flag warning in the Lake Tahoe Basin for the next few days. Other areas will also be experiencing critical fire conditions. Don't even think about doing a campfire.
While there isn't anything we can do about thunderstorms and lightning strikes, we can mount an active defense against the inevitable. My Reno / Tahoe Wildfire Safety article has good information about preventing fires and what to do if a wildfire is threatening your area.
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