Pinehaven Fire: a fire in the upper Caughlin Ranch area burnt through pine- and brushland today, starting early afternoon. The Caughlin Ranch slopes, with their various power lines, have seen fires in the past when strong winds blew through the area. But today it was relatively calm. Currently, a human cause is suspected: a man fleeing police is believed to get the fire started after driving off road in the Pinehaven Road neighborhood [1]. The picture shows the dark smoke of the fire shortly after 1:00 pm, seen from West Fourth Street between the Oxbow Nature Study Area and South McCarran Boulevard.
The affected area is a rugged terrain, which includes many dirt roads and trails leading up to Hunter Lake and into the Mt. Rose Wilderness. This unoccupied land is a typical example of an wildland-urban-interface (WUI), known to be at risk of human-caused fires. Fortunately, this time no heavy winds blew downhill. The fire burnt away from inhabited areas and structures [2], taking a different direction than the destructive November 2011 Caughlin Fire that spread southeast all the way down to Bartley Ranch and Anderson Park.
References and further news
[1] Caughlin Ranch brush fire ignited by police chase suspect: www.foxreno.com/news/news/local/brush-fire-burning-caughlin-ranch/nPkXg/.
[2] Standley White: Pinehaven Fire burns near Reno's Caughlin Ranch [renotahoe.about.com/b/2012/07/02/pinehaven-fire-burns-near-renos-caughlin-ranch.htm].
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