Windy conditions and rough terrain complicated efforts to quickly contain a wildfire that broke out on Tuesday, Aug. 20 near the Rose Creek exit (mm 165) outside of Winnemucca.
The fire, reported around 1:30 p.m., drew response from Winnemucca Rural Fire District, the Bureau of Land Management, Grass Valley Fire Department and Winnemucca City Volunteer Fire Department.
The fire threatened approximately 10 structures and impacted energy and railroad infrastructure. Fueled by brush and abundant grass, it quickly spread due to extreme fire behavior and high winds. It initially covered over 1,000 acres. By 5 p.m., forward progression was halted, and the fire was 50% contained, according to BLM officials.
I-80 was closed briefly but has since reopened. However, the railroad line on the west side of the fire remained shut down the next day for safety and damage assessment. Power lines in the area were also damaged. No evacuations were issued, and no injuries have been reported.
NV Energy de-energized power lines at 2:30 p.m. in order to keep first responders safe, as well as prevent secondary ignitions caused by active lines, energy officials said. The outage affected approximately 3,300 customers.·
Firefighting efforts included 20 fire engines, 4 fire dozers, 5 water tenders, numerous aircraft, and a helicopter.