Caughlin Fire

The Caughlin Fire was a short-lived wildfire that burned in Southwest Reno in November 2011. After igniting around midnight due to arcing power lines on November 18, 2011, the wind-driven fire burned 1,935 acres (783 ha), destroyed twenty-eight structures, and resulted in ten million dollars in damage.^[1] Dry and windy conditions allowed the fire to quickly spread, but firefighters were able to get a hold on the fire and contain it rather quickly on November 20 because of light precipitation and slackening winds.

Caughlin Fire
The Caughlin Fire on November 18, 2011
Date(s)	November 18 (18-11) - November 20, 2011 (2011-11-20) (2 days)
Location	Southwest Reno, Washoe County, Nevada
Statistics
Burned area	1,935 acres (783 ha)
Impacts
Deaths	1
Non-fatal injuries	1
Evacuated	About 9,500
Structures destroyed	28
Ignition
Cause	Tree branches that fell onto power lines

Background

November 2011 was a mostly dry month, with only two storm systems in the area. Overall, precipitation in the month was well below average. Winds from the latter of these storms assisted in lighting the Caughlin Fire. Additionally, a high pressure area was developing, which brought more warm and dry conditions.^[2] The fire’s rapid rate of spread was mainly due to the dry conditions and low fuel moistures.^[3]

The toll of destroyed structures was mainly because many people have been moving into the foothills of the Carson Range (a region of the Sierra Nevada that stretches into Nevada) which are high in vegetation that fuel fires and make them spread quickly.^[4]

Cause

On November 18, 2011, strong winds between twenty and thirty miles per hour that were gusting up to sixty miles per hour knocked down tree branches onto power lines, igniting dry brush below.^[5]

Progression

Later November 18, a state of emergency was declared as the fire, which had been driven by wind, had already burned 400 acres and had destroyed twenty structures. According to NV Energy, around one thousand customers had lost power. Roughly 9500 people were evacuated.^[6] However, later that day, the winds had been weakening and there was light snowfall in the area. These factors helped suppression efforts on the fire.^[7] By 10:20 P.M., power had been restored to all customers. At noon on November 19, residents were allowed to return home with an I.D., and was 80% contained at 2 P.M.^[8] The Caughlin Fire was fully contained on November 20 after burning 1,935 acres (783 ha).^[9]

Effects

Twenty-eight structures were destroyed by the fire, and there were $10 million (2011 USD) in total damages.^[1]

One firefighter was injured while fighting the fire.^[7] One civilian experienced cardiac arrest during the fire.^[8]

There were evacuation notices in the Caughlin Ranch area south to Zolezzi Lane and north to Caughlin Parkway. Several residential roads were closed, along with South McCarran Boulevard. Because of the road closures, the United States Postal Service was unable to deliver to 6,000 postal customers.^[8]

According to NV Energy, up to 4,100 customers had no power during the fire.^[8]