Reno / Tahoe Wildfire Safety

Reno wildfire safety is something all Reno / Tahoe residents need to know. Property damage from wildfires and the attendant risks to human life are ever-present conditions. Our weather, vegetation, and geography all combine to make fires inevitable and a natural part of the landscape throughout the west. The environment adapted to being periodically burned over long before we started moving in and pays little respect to our attempts at altering the natural order to suit our purposes. Learning more about wildfires will help you protect your property and may save your life.

Wildfires Can Happen to Anyone

Examples of recent wildfires that caused extensive damage provide graphic evidence of the need for wildfire safety around Reno / Tahoe.

On June 24, 2007, an illegal campfire got away and started the Angora Fire just south of Lake Tahoe. By the time the fire was contained days later, over 200 homes had burned, along with over 3,000 acres of forest.

The Hawken Fire in west Reno started by careless human activity on July 16, 2007, was a close call. Numerous homes in the Caughlin Ranch subdivision were threatened as flames burned right up to fences in some places. Firefighters were able to defend the property, but 2,700 acres of forest went up in smoke.

In July of 2004, the Waterfall Fire took off near Carson City. Thirty-one homes and numerous other structures were destroyed. Almost 9,000 acres burned. Origin of this fire was traced to careless and illegal human activity.

Elsewhere around Nevada, wildfires of both human and natural origin regularly destroy thousands of acres of forest, desert brush, wildlife habitat, and human built structures.

Be Prepared for Reno / Tahoe Wildfires

Wildfires will happen, guaranteed. Everyone living near or within an area prone to fire owes it to themselves, their neighbors, and the firefighters who come to their aid, to foster wildfire safety. Learn what to do, then do it. It's too late once the flames are bearing down on your house.

• Reno Fire Department Wildfire Information
• Living With Fire: This informational website helps homeowners learn about reducing wildfire threats to their property. Website is a cooperative effort of several public and private agencies involved with firefighting, prevention, and education.
• Living With Fire Tip #1: Firefighting Tools You Already Own
• Learn About Defensible Space to Protect Your Property
• Nevada Division of Forestry Fire Program

Learn More About Wildfire Prevention and Safety

• Nevada Wildfire Awareness Week: Held each year to build awareness and encourage action to reduce the wildfire threat to Nevada homes and communities.
• BLM Learning Landscapes: Burning Issues: Interactive multimedia information for teachers and students, from the Bureau of Land Management and Florida State University.
• National Weather Service Fire Weather News