Good news and bad news was announced on January 19 at a 9:30 p.m. press conference held by local and state officials involved with corraling the Washoe Drive Fire. The good news is that forward progress of the fire has been stopped and most of the 10,000 residents evacuated will be allowed to return to their homes. However, over 2,000 will have to wait a little longer until the areas where their homes are located are deemed safe. NV Energy is working to restore power to over 2,000 customers still in the dark. Some 20 homes were destroyed and the extent of the fire was said to be around 3,700 acres. Galena High School, Pleasant Valley Elementary School, and Depoali Middle School will be closed Friday. Bus service in the fire area will be suspended as well. For more information about school closures and other issues, visit the Washoe County School District.
The stretch of U.S. 395 affected by the fire will remain closed until further notice. The closure runs for 11 miles, from the Mt. Rose Highway south to Eastlake Blvd. The fire burned along both sides of the highway, damaging safety features like guard rails and leaving electric lines dangling from burned power poles. Fire crews will also be using the roadway as they clean up and mop up after the flames die down.
Here is the suggested 395 detour for those needing to travel between Reno and Carson City... go east in I80 to Fernley, south on U.S. 50/95 to Silver Springs, then west on U.S. 50 to Carson City. It's about 84 miles. Going through Virginia City or up around Lake Tahoe are other possibilities, but may be poor choices if the storm forecast to arrive this weekend brings significant amounts of snow.
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