Washington Fire near Markleeville grows to more than 16,500 acres

UPDATE 10AM TUESDAY: Washington Fire swells to 16,544 acres. Crews are working to construct a containment line south of Highway 89 and north of Highway 4 to prevent the fire from spreading toward Markleeville. Smoke continues to waft into Carson Valley and Carson City.
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GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — UPDATE 5 a.m., Tuesday, June 23: Smoke from the Washington Fire in Alpine County drifted over Carson Valley early Tuesday morning, plunging air quality into the “very unhealthy” range, according to the Nevada Division of Environmental protection.

With only light winds in the forecast and the wildfire continuing to grow, the air quality will likely remain compromised by the smoke throughout the day.

Crews are working to construct a containment line south of Highway 89 and north of Highway 4 to prevent the Washington Fire from spreading toward Markleeville as suppression efforts of the nearly 15,000-acre blaze enter the fifth day.

Containment on the lightning-caused fire, which was first reported Friday evening at 7:04 p.m., dropped from an estimated 10 percent to zero Monday evening due to high winds and unsafe conditions for the firefighters. Winds subsided later Monday evening, and should stay calm for most of Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch public information officer Elizabeth Kenna reported the fire is burning mainly in timber on U.S. Forest Service Land in steep, rocky and hazardous terrain with a lack of vehicle access.

One minor heat related illness was reported among fire personnel and it was treated on scene.

More than 500 fire personnel and 10 air tankers, eight helicopters, one water tender, 15 hand crews, 17 engines and 22 command staff are on scene with more expected.

Residents of Markleeville, a community of about 200 residents located approximately 20 miles south of Gardnerville, are expected to meet with fire officials Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. in the Board of Supervisors’ meeting room, 99 Water Street in Markleeville. Residents were notified Monday to prepare for potential evacuation in the event the fire makes its way closer to town.

In the event of a mandatory evacuation, residents would be directed to the Woodfords Indian Colony Gymnasium, though no such order has been issued thus far.

Residents were advised to prioritize items to take, load the most important items in the car and be prepared to mobilize if the need arises.

Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch officials reported Monday evening the section of the fire that was initially heading northwest toward the town progressed more to the west than the north on Monday.

Thermal mapping indicated the fire has not expanded laterally to any significance over the past 12 hours, pushing slightly north instead.

A Type II incident management team (Great Basin Team 4-Wilcox) assumed command of the fire Monday morning.

A Type II team (there are generally five types, ranging from village/township to national/state level) is ordered for smaller scale national or state emergency management incidents and includes interagency cooperation from federal, state and local first-responders.

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GARDNERVILLE, Nev. — UPDATE 8:00 p.m., Monday, June 22: The Washington Fire burning south of Markleeville in Alpine County grew to 14,942 acres by Monday evening, with the containment level dropping to zero percent, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch.

Markleeville is located approximately 20 miles south of Gardnerville. Mandatory evacuations were not ordered as of 8 p.m. Monday. In the event of a mandatory evacuation, residents would be directed to the Woodfords Indian Colony Gymnasium. A reverse 911 was issued Monday morning for all of Markleeville and the immediate surrounding area to prepare for potential evacuation in the event the lightning-caused Washington Fire made its way closer to town.

Residents were advised to prioritize items to take, load the most important items in the car and be prepared to mobilize if the need arises.

The fire, which was first reported Friday night shortly after 7 p.m. near Silver Peak south of Markleeville, grew progressively throughout the day Monday. It is burning in heavy timber on United States Forest Service land.

Crews had contained an estimated 10 percent of the perimeter of the fire before mapping late Monday erased that containment. The fire remained active throughout the day and officials expressed concerns that it could make a run for Markleeville if the winds pick back up.

Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch officials said the tactical priority Monday afternoon is to prevent the fire from spreading further northwest toward Markleeville.

The forecast for gusty winds, combined with a low relative humidity of 4 to 5 percent will continue through Monday. The winds should subside after Monday, but high temperatures (up to 98 degrees) and the possibility of thunderstorms later in the week could affect fire behavior as well.

Thermal mapping indicated the fire had burned east along Highway 89 past Heenan Lake and north approximately 2-3 miles outside of Markleeville as of 8 p.m. Monday afternoon. The eastern perimeter of the fire sits approximately six miles away from the shores of Topaz Lake. The most active front of the fire is burning northeast.

The fire transitioned to a Type II incident management team (Great Basin Team 4-Wilcox) Monday morning and the focus was on air attack early in the day while conditions were optimal.

A Type II team (there are generally five types, ranging from village/township to national/state level) is ordered for smaller scale national or state emergency management incidents and includes interagency cooperation from federal, state and local first-responders.

Air quality in some southern portions of Douglas County dipped into the unhealthy range early Monday morning, according to the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. As of 12 p.m. Monday, the AQI index at the sensor located at Ranchos Aspen Park was logging air quality as “moderate.”

According to the National Weather Service, the southwest to west winds will take the smoke back into western Nevada with the densest smoke in the Smith and Mason Valleys Monday afternoon. Visibility may drop below 1 mile and it is advised to avoid any strenuous outdoor activities, and if you have smoke sensitivities to stay indoors.
Smoke will spread farther east into Fallon and Hawthorne as well, but will not be very dense. For Tuesday, winds will be light, becoming northeast by the late afternoon, taking the smoke west into California. Winds are forecast to remain easterly Wednesday and Thursday as well, though there may be brief periods where westerly afternoon winds will kick in and bring some smoke to the east. Subtle changes in fire activity and wind direction can drastically change the smoke forecast.

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