Five homes destroyed, 24 damaged
Wooden steps burn after wildfires in Southwest Reno, destroyed several homes in the Juniper Hills area. Tuesday, Nov.17, 2020, in Reno, Nev. (AP Photo/Lance Iversen)
RENO, Nev. (AP) — The Reno Fire Department says a wildfire that destroyed or damaged 29 homes has been contained around 100% of its perimeter as an investigation into the cause continued.
The fire reached full containment late Friday but firefighters would continue to patrol the area to look for smoke or hot spots that become visible as the area dries out from recent rains, the Fire Department said.
The department said it still wanted the public to provide information that might help determine the cause.
“Our team is now in the process of analyzing collected evidence and interviewing witnesses,” said Tray Palmer, fire marshal for the Fire Department. “It may take up to a week before we can release a conclusion, but at this time there is no evidence of malicious intent.”
The fire started early Tuesday afternoon on a hillside in foothills in southwest Reno. Before crew from multiple agencies stopped its forward progress that evening, the fire destroyed five homes and damaged 24, three heavily.
More than 1,000 people who were forced to evacuate were allowed to return to their homes on Wednesday.
Fire Chief David Cochran has said extremely dry conditions helped fuel the blaze in rugged, hard-to-reach canyons between homes.
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