Report: Prescribed burn decisions by NDF cause of Little Valley Fire

Decreased staffing and close proximity of hot materials to the fire line during last October's prescribed burn in the Little Valley northwest of Carson City contributed to an uncontrolled wildfire on Oct. 14, 2016 that consumed more than 2,000 acres, a final report released Wednesday from the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (NDCNR) said.

According to the final report compiled by a team of independent reviewers, the Little Valley Fire started about a week after Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) crews had finished work on a four-day prescribed burn of the Little Valley — tucked behind a ridge above southwest Washoe Valley and north of Carson City — Oct. 4-7, 2016.

Also factors in the uncontrolled wildfire were powerful sustained winds and gusts in advance of an approaching storm system that blew embers out of the prescribed burn perimeter and into areas of dry brush and other fire fuels.

The Little Valley Fire destroyed 40 structures on the west side of Washoe Valley, including 23 homes.

“I would like to thank the independent review team for its time and thorough report. Bringing in an outside professional perspective was an important step in understanding how this tragedy occurred,” said Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval. “I will review the report with my team and we will discuss the findings with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Once again, I would like to express my heartfelt sorrow to the victims of this tragic event and my sincere gratitude to the first responders and firefighters who battled this intense and shocking event without injury or loss of life.”

The Little Valley Fire, started a little after 1 a.m. on Friday morning, Oct. 14, was not declared fully contained until the following Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Firefighting personnel did not gain the upper hand on containment, either, until about the third day.

High winds made firefighting difficult as white-hot embers blown by gusts set off fires in other parts of the Washoe Valley, including a section that had jumped Interstate 580.

However, heavy and steady rainfall aided firefighting crews in their efforts to keep the blaze from advancing and threatening more structures.

NDCNR Director Bradley Crowell announced Wednesday the final report from the Little Valley Fire incident's independent review team, the findings of which are now available to the public.

“Today, February 15, 2017, the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources received the report it had requested from an independent Escaped Prescribed Fire Review Team regarding the October 14, 2016, Little Valley Fire," said Crowell, who was appointed the department's new director on Dec. 12. "The report, titled 'The Little Valley Escaped Prescribed Fire Review,' is posted for public review on the Department’s homepage at http://dcnr.nv.gov/."

According to the report, multiple factors in the management and execution of the Oct. 4 prescribed burn led to conditions that resulted in the Oct. 14 wildfire.

These included a continued decrease in burn site staffing over the final two days despite knowledge of an approaching storm and high wind event, the report said, as well as the close proximity of control lines to hot areas of the burn.

High winds began moving into the area Oct. 13, the report said, while burned materials continued to smolder under a duff layer.

Shortened distances between smoldering materials and fire fuels outside of the controlled lines essentially allowed heat to jump the perimeters and reach those "receptive" fuels that lay beyond them.

Crowell, whose department includes the Nevada Division of Forestry as a subsidiary agency, was reticent to go into any detail about the fire's investigation. But he praised the efforts of interstate firefighting agencies who worked to contain the blaze.

"While unable to provide further comment due to pending litigation, we express our continued concern for the tragic impacts to the residents of west Washoe Valley, as well as our gratitude to all the firefighting agencies and emergency responders who worked to contain the fire," he said. "As the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF) moves forward in fulfilling its critical mission of providing statewide wildfire protection services, I have asked the State Forester/Firewarden to conduct a comprehensive review of NDF policies and procedures, and to provide me with a plan for updating and improving the NDF prescribed fire program."

Crowell also said policies that halted state prescribed burns since the Little Valley Fire continue indefinitely.

"Meanwhile, the current NDF prescribed fire moratorium will remain in place until further notice,” he said.