NV Energy Cancels Public Safety Outage for Genoa, Glenbrook and Carson

Overnight operations near the Mount Rose Highway to improve lines for today’s critical fire danger. Photo by the US Forest Service

NV Energy has canceled a power outage warning in Genoa, Glenbrook and South Carson City due to updated weather forecasts.

The power outage warning was issued Monday after the National Weather Service predicted extreme fire danger for the Carson Range.

It would affect 322 customers.

“The company reminds customers that due to higher than normal winds, unplanned power outages may still occur,” said Katie Nannini, public information officer.

Winds are forecast over the Sierra Front today.

Additional information, including tips for preparing for power outages, is available here . Customers can also sign up for MyAccount to automatically receive SMS and email notifications about outages and other important updates.

While the power outages are unrelated to the Davis fire, they are intended to prevent live power lines from sparking new fires in high winds.

Meanwhile, firefighters have used bulldozers to install lines near Sky Tavern and on both sides of the Mount Rose Highway.

The flames seen at night were part of a backfire operation to improve the fire lines.

“A successful burnout operation was conducted near Highway 431 last night to secure fire lines,” fire officials said Wednesday morning. “Firefighters continue to protect structures in all impacted communities. Additional firefighters from across the state are arriving to augment efforts.”

Because much of the fire was in rugged terrain near the Mount Rose Highway, aircraft played a crucial role in firefighting efforts Tuesday.

But today’s strong winds will limit their participation.

“Today’s air operations will be limited due to wind and smoke,” officials said. “Yesterday, rotor-wing aircraft delivered 208,000 gallons of water, with Super Scoopers contributing 196,000 gallons. Additionally, fixed-wing aircraft dropped 98,000 gallons of fire retardant. Bulldozer lines have been established near the Sky Tavern area, as well as north and south of Highway 431.”

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As of Wednesday morning, the National Interagency Coordination Center situation report said 65 structures had been lost in the Davis Fire.

According to the report, released at 6:30 a.m., the Davis fire has burned 5,646 acres and cost $2.8 million.

The increase of 14 structures compared to the previous report likely reflects the ability to enter areas previously considered too dangerous by the fire.

Smoke from the Davis fire eased Wednesday morning, but fire officials said nearly a third of the fire in Washoe County has been extinguished.

The Calaveras Alert Wildfire camera showed the fire burning through the night, but it died down a bit by sunrise, giving firefighters a brief window to reinforce their lines before an “extremely dangerous situation” looms on the wind later this morning.

Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue has a red flag warning in effect for the entire Sierra Front. Forecasters predict that fire conditions will be critical for at least six hours this afternoon, with winds of 15-30 mph and gusts of over 70 mph on the ridges.

According to satellite maps from the Fire Information Resource System, the worst fires were burning there at night, with hot spots visible on both sides of the Mount Rose Highway.

Computer models at pyrecast.org predicted the fire would continue to rage into the Carson Mountains and north toward Galena for the next 12 hours.