An NV Energy outage swept part of Sparks on Tuesday after a vegetation fire grew to about 30 acres and began threatening structures in the Vecchio Drive area. Crews were still working the fire as the utility de-energized those spots for fire control.
The fire started in the area of Geno Martini Pkwy and Garda Ct., then pushed into a response that drew the Bureau of Land Management and the Sparks Fire Department. People in the Vecchio Drive area were under an evacuation order, and anyone leaving could go to the Sparks Library.
Walt White said crews were making good progress, but he also made clear they would not be done quickly. “We'll be sitting on this all night, but it looks like crews are making good progress,” he said, adding that the ground there is not great terrain and that he hoped to box the fire in fast.
That is what makes the power cut important here: it was not a routine outage, but a tactical move tied to a fire that was still active and still threatening nearby homes. Watch Duty listed the fire at 30 acres on Tuesday, and the overnight work suggests the final size of the response may matter less than whether crews can keep it from spreading past the area already under pressure.
