November 2011 Reno Fire

Post date: Nov 21, 2011 8:13:5 PM

A wind driven wildfire roared through the foothills of Reno on Friday, November 18, 2011. "At times, the fire was moving 20 to 30 miles per hour and embers were jumping more than a mile, said Reno Fire Chief Mike Hernandez." The cause is most likely power lines arcing in the high winds. This fire started in the early morning hours and approximately 10,000 people living in 4,000 homes were evacuated. 32 homes were lost.

This is an example of the kind of fire that is the most difficult for fire departments to contain. The lesson for us is to always be vigilant in red flag weather, and take advance steps to harden our homes against flying embers.

It's ironic that the ember brochure and video on our website was produced as part of the Living With Fire program, based in Reno. It will be interesting to see how many homes were saved in this fire by being Ember Prepared