Officials report significant progress in Nevada wildfire

Fire officials announced that the Gold Ranch Fire near Reno was 80 percent contained on Wednesday — a dramatic jump after officials said the fire was just 8 percent contained on Tuesday.

The wildfire, which was caused by a car fire on Sunday, has burned 657 acres near Interstate 80 along the Nevada-California border and was threatening at least 150 homes on Monday.

The Reno Fire Department said in a post on X that fire crews are continuing to clear and uproot unburned vegetation that could fuel the fire to prevent flare-ups.

#GoldRanchFire Update:

Due to efforts made on the ground by state, local and federal firefighting agencies significant progress has been made and the containment percentage has increases dramatically to 80%. Yesterday, the fire line held strong throughout the day despite gusty… pic.twitter.com/3oswzCll77

— Reno Fire Department (@RenoFireDept) August 14, 2024

According to Nevadafireinfo.org, 195 people are working to contain the fire.

The department said the fire line also “held strong” on Tuesday, despite gusty winds in the area.

Firefighters are continuing to extinguish smoldering areas, and they are encouraging residents to avoid areas with downed power lines and weakened trees.

Although the evacuation order for those living near the fire was lifted Tuesday, the area is still limited to “essential” access only, the department said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Taylor Lane at tlane@reviewjournal.com.