A vegetation fire in Sparks grew to about 30 acres Tuesday and was threatening structures in the Vecchio Drive area as crews from the Bureau of Land Management and the Sparks Fire Department worked the scene. An evacuation order was in effect for that part of town, and people leaving the area could take shelter at the Sparks Library.
The fire broke out Tuesday in the area of Geno Martini Pkwy and Garda Ct., then spread enough to prompt de-energizing by NV Energy for fire control. Watch Duty listed the fire at 30 acres, while the Sparks Fire Department kept responding as the perimeter map showed the evacuation order farther out near Vecchio Drive.
Walt White said crews were making good progress, but he also said, “We’ll be sitting on this all night, but it looks like crews are making good progress,” a line that matched the scene on the ground: active firefighting, cooling temperatures and difficult terrain. That combination helped, but not enough to clear the risk.
The unresolved question is not whether crews are working; it is how long the threat to structures will last in an area where the terrain is not easy and the fire still needs overnight attention. For now, the priority is containment and keeping people out of harm’s way until the order can be lifted.
