fire

The Nevada Emergency Medical Systems Program of the Division of Public and Behavioral Health in Carson City recently received the Excellence in Action Award of Merit from the Nevada Association for Career and Technical Education. The award is given annually to an individual or organization for outstanding achievement in the field of career and technical training.

Clearing skies through some of the smoke will persist today in Carson City, Carson Valley, Lyon County and Lake Tahoe as the Rim Fire is now 75 percent contained. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity helped firefighters gain on the fire which has now consumed 235,841 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park.

A 50-year-old Carson City man, who hid from authorities in an attic, was arrested Sunday and faces a felony domestic battery charge with strangulation. William Elliott was arrested in the 1500 block of Rand at 7:26 p.m.

According to the arrest report officers responded to the Rand address for a report of a man brandishing a gun and possibly domestic battery. Officers spoke with the victim who stated she walked into her home and the locks were changed.

Funding constraints will allow only about a third of the land burned by western Nevada’s largest-ever wildfire to be re-seeded in an effort to restore a damaged landscape.

A Dense Smoke Advisory has been lifted, at least for now, for the Carson City region, but continues in the Sierra for Alpine County south of Markleeville and Mono County north of Mammoth Lakes, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Even with pockets of blue sky today due to a change in air flow, smoke from the Rim Fire near Yosemite will continue to impact Carson City, Carson Valley and Lyon County through the weekend.

Dense smoke advisories continue for much of the Carson City region and into the Sierra. Heavier smoke could return Sunday and Monday, however, due to a more southerly flow of air, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore said in his speech to scientists, elected officials, environmentalists, business leaders, fire department officials, students and others in the audience of the 2013 Lake Tahoe Summit, that what we’ve learned at Tahoe can help inform the rest of the world to protect their resources and communities.

A Dense Smoke Advisory issued by the National Weather Service continues Wednesday for Carson City and Carson Valley.

Using data provided by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Carson City and Douglas County officials continue to monitor the rapid decline in air quality. On Wednesday Douglas County sent a news release stating that overnight pollution levels moved into the "hazardous" classification.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Aug. 28 through Labor Day. Don't forget, California's second free day of fishing without a license will be Saturday, Sept. 7.

CARSON CITY — Currently, Carson Tahoe Health has experienced only a slight increase in patient volumes due to respiratory concerns linked to the “Hazardous” air quality caused by the Rim Fire.

Carson Tahoe Health has taken steps to proactively prepare and protect patients within CTH facilities. Precautions include consolidating entrances at the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center and Carson Tahoe Specialty Medical Center. These inpatient care areas have been equipped with air scrubbers and fans which have effectively maintained good air quality within the facilities.

An active wildfire season has sent Carson City Fire Department personnel on more than 20 assignments this year, including the Rim Fire burning near Yosemite National Park.

On Saturday Carson City Fire Department Capt. Matt Donnelly was assigned as a strike team leader with other area engines to the fire, which has chewed nearly 180,000 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County. Thick smoke from the Rim Fire continues to push through Carson City, Carson Valley, Lyon County and much of Northern Nevada.

Air quality in Carson City, Carson Valley and Lyon County will likely straddle between "unhealthy" and "very unhealthy" conditions through at least the week, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection reports.

Smoke and ash from the Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park is being pushed in the atmosphere directly over the region causing extremely elevated amounts of particulate matter. The levels of particulate matter equate to “Very Unhealthy” on the Air Quality Index (AQI) level of health concern, according to a news release.

A very interesting view of the Rim Fire:

Carson City fire department, sheriff's office and search and rescue responded Friday night to an injured 23-year-old Lake Tahoe climber in Clear Creek Canyon. The climber was stuck hanging from rocks in the canyon and may have compound fractures, said Sheriff Ken Furlong.

Care Flight was ordered to respond to the scene however the smoke was too thick for a helicopter to land. The climber was taken to Renown Medical Center in Reno.

The HopeFest Benefit Concert at the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center has been canceled due to hazardous air quality from Rim Fire smoke. Carson Tahoe Health Foundation had net proceeds of over $50,000 for their 2012 2nd Annual Carson City HopeFest fundraiser. The CTH Foundation is the only non-profit organization focused on supporting Carson area cancer patients with living expenses. PLEASE HELP FILL the Hope Chest with your generous donation.

Air quality in the Carson City area has been designated as "Very Unhealthy" according to the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and is expected to remain this way over the weekend.

Air quality monitors in Gardnerville and Carson City indicated extremely elevated amounts of particulate matter in the air because of the wildfires burning in California, specifically the Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park.

Here's a view of Friday morning's sun in Jacks Valley due smoke from the Rim Fire. The photo was submitted by J Maher. The fire burning in California's Tuolumne County near Yosemite National Park has filled Carson City, Carson Valley and Lyon County skies with thick, unhealthy smoke.

The Rim Fire has grown to 165 miles in size and is 2 percent contained. California Gov. Jerry Brown has issued a state of emergency.

This Thursday evening photo was taken in the backyard of Dayton resident Janet Baker. Lyon County Office of Emergency Management urges citizens with respiratory illness to stay indoors. Citizens should use caution when physically exerting themselves in this smokey environment. Please check on those that you know that are elderly, young and/or have health issues.

Officials anticipate these conditions to exist for the next couple of days.

Nevada Division of Environmental Protection air quality monitors in Carson City and in Gardnerville are reporting high particulate matter from smoke indicating the air quality Thursday is unhealthy, officials said.

A fire burning in Tuolumne County, Calif., near Yosemite National Park, is the main source of smoke in the Carson City, Carson Valley, Reno and Lyon County regions. The Rim Fire is estimated at nearly 54,000 acres and growing Thursday with 2 percent containment.

Nevada-Douglas County Emergency Management and The Bureau of Pollution Control are closely monitoring air quality concerns from smoke conditions drifting into the valley from the Rim Fire in Tuolumne County, according to a Douglas County news release.

The Rim Fire was estimated at nearly 54,000 acres as of 7 a.m. Thursday morning, up from 16,000 acres on Wednesday. The most recent air samples from this afternoon put the current air quality in the upper end of the "moderate" level in the Carson Valley, the news release states.

A wildfire burning in Tuolumne County near Yosemite National Park is causing much of the smoke seen Thursday in Carson City and Carson Valley, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. The Rim Fire burning in the Stanislaus National Forest is 2 percent contained and has burned nearly 53,000 acres since August 17. Around 2,500 structures are threatened in the Pine Mountain Lake area. The smoke from the fire has pushed north filling much of the valley areas around Carson City and into the Lake Tahoe Basin, said Sierra Front spokesman Mark Struble.

A U.S. Marine Corps veteran and Carson City resident died Monday in a single-vehicle motorcycle crash on the roadway of Brown Drive and Industrial Parkway in Mound House.

Anthony Laffoon, 26, died of injuries from the crash, which was reported at 6:21 p.m. Monday. He was taken by Care Flight. Family members said he died while he was en route to Renown Medical Center in Reno. Family members say he was not wearing a motorcycle helmet at the time of the crash.

UPDATE: A 15-year-old boy was injured after colliding with a car in the area of Saliman Road and Fifth Street Wednesday afternoon, the Carson City Sheriff's Office confirms.

The accident investigation shows the vehicle, a Honda Civic, was traveling eastbound through the intersection on a green light, said Carson City Sheriff's Office Deputy Matt Smith.

Carson City firefighters were called to the area of Old Clear Creek Road and Highway 50 Spooner Wednesday afternoon after a brush fire was touched off, possibly due to lightning strikes in the area.

The fire was reported at around 1:30 p.m. in the canyon about 2 miles from Highway 50 and the Douglas County line, according to fire spotters surveilling the area from the top of Spooner Summit.

Carson City firefighters were called to a gas leak Wednesday afternoon in which a two-inch line was severed. Four residents in the neighborhood of Bigelow and Roland were evacuated, Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi said.

Southwest Gas was notified. The leak was capped at 2:05 p.m.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. this report is for the week of Aug. 21-27.

In the throes of a sun-drenched late Lake Tahoe summer day, MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa will bite the head, pinch the tail and build the body Aug. 24 in a daylong feast and flex protein fest for the eyes, abs and everything in between.

Louisiana will have nothing on Lake Tahoe when it's over.

The inaugural Boil 'n Fry Day Festival is Lake Tahoe's version of an old fashioned New Orleans crawdad feed, complete with live music at the MontBleu Outdoor Event Center, carnival games, hot wings, cold beer and all the fried, boiled or barbecued fresh water crustaceans partygoers.

UPDATE: A brush fire burning in the Brunswick Canyon area that started Saturday night has been contained, according to Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch. The fire burned about 30 acres.
Much of the thick smoke in the Carson City region is from the American Fire, burning west of Lake Tahoe, which has consumed about 13,750 acres.

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Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch reports smoky skies as a result of a handful of lightning-ignited fires burning overnight in the northern Nevada region, including a fire in the Brunswick Canyon area east of Carson City.

A draft environmental impact statement to conserve, restore and enhance habitat for the sage grouse was released jointly this week by the Carson City Bureau of Land Management and the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.