About 200 firefighters were battling a wildfire Monday near the California-Nevada border that destroyed one home, briefly closed Interstate 80, and threatened hundreds of homes just west of Reno.
No serious injuries have been reported from the fire, which has burned around 500 acres along the Truckee River since it started on Sunday evening.
Fire crews made good progress overnight, preventing the fire from spreading further, and Interstate 80, which connects Reno to Sacramento and San Francisco, has been reopened.
However, about 6,200 people are still without power. Fire officials are worried about strong winds that could make firefighting harder both on the ground and from the air as the day goes on.
Adam Mayberry, a spokesman for the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, estimated that around 400 homes in the area are at risk or could be at risk if the fire spreads.
Our main concern today is the wind. We’re under a red flag warning, and the wind is really picking up, Mayberry said from near the fire lines in Verdi, a town 11 miles from downtown Reno.
The National Weather Service in Reno said winds could gust up to 35 mph.
More firefighters are expected to arrive Monday evening when a federal interagency team will take over command. A temporary shelter and information center have been set up at a local library, but Mayberry said there were no evacuees there at last report.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. At one point on Sunday night, about 27,000 people were without power, but by Tuesday, Nevada Energy reported that power had been restored to all but 6,200 customers.
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