Hours after an early morning fire at Lake Tahoe's north shore chewed about a half-acre on Forest Service land, a man in the Prison Hill area of Carson City lit some paper on fire to warm up and in doing so touched off a small blaze.
With persistent drought conditions and no clear sign of when the next rain and snowfall will be, fire officials say the potential for wildfires is worsening ever day and the public needs to be aware of the danger.
The illegal fire near the Koontz water tower was extinguished quickly and the man was cited for burning without a permit. All it would have taken was an errant ember from the paper to ignite vegetation around it and the hill side could have gone up in flames, said Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi.
"We're in a drought that is nearly as bad as California," said Giomi. "Without snow and without moisture all is needed is a flame and the wind to take and carry it. We need to be really careful about using any kind of fire outdoors. We're asking people to be cognizant of this threat and their activities in the winter months."
Burning in Carson City is prohibited. However the fire department does issue seasonal burn permits which are available through the fire department by going here and here.
The Friday morning fire at Lake Tahoe could have been worse had it not been for fast-acting firefighters and the fact that it was discovered early in the morning with calm conditions. North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District personnel responded at around 2:30 a.m. near the Allison subdivision. It was detained and then extinguished by late morning.
The half-acre fire was in heavy vegetation on Forest Service land. No structures were threatened. The cause is under investigation. The North Lake Tahoe Fire District is reminding residents that fire conditions are still very dry and outdoor burning in the district is prohibited.