PHOTOS: Flames burning up the hills in southeast Reno prompted a quick response from firefighters on Tuesday and, with a little cooperation from the weather, the threat was controlled before it got out of hand. The Barron Fire in southeast Reno burned 390 acres as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, and officials say it is 60% contained. Tall grass and brush are fueling the fire in the hills adjacent to neighborhoods southeast of Reno-Tahoe International Airport. All evacuation orders and road closures were lifted on Tuesday.
Itโs currently the largest active fire in Nevada. The Reno area has dealt with several fires in recent years in the foothills of the Eastern Sierra, west of the city, including last yearโs Davis Fire. The site where that fire started is about 14 miles from the Barron Fire. The Barron Fire was discovered Tuesday afternoon, and is burning on private land. The cause of the fire is unknown. Personnel from the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District are on the scene.
About 120 miles north of Las Vegas, the Mount Irish Fire in Lincoln County sent plumes of smoke into the sky. Strong winds from the south on Tuesday spread the fire to the north, and Bureau of Land Management fire officials said Wednesday it had grown to 6,311 acres as of about 3 p.m. The Mount Irish Fire is currently 0% contained, burning brush, shrubs and small trees on BLM land. Officials indicated the fire was human-caused.
