Sunday Fire Update: Firecrews gain upper hand on Little Valley Fire with 55 percent containment

UPDATE 7:14PM: The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center (SFIDC) is now reporting the Little Valley to be 55 percent contained, having burned 3,400 acres and destroyed 22 homes and 17 outbuildings since early Friday morning.
More than 660 firefighting personnel remain on scene, the SFIDC reports.
More rain is forecast Sunday night into Monday morning, which should further help firefighting efforts to achieve full containment of the Little Valley Fire.
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UPDATE 3:52PM: From South Lake Tahoe, Highway 89 continues to be closed from just beyond the Spring Creek Tract to the Vikingsholm parking lot gate (north side of Emerald Bay) because of the Emerald Fire, which is still 90 percent contained.
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, evacuations have been lifted for Cathedral Road, Springs Creek Tract, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord and Mount Tallac Road.
Cascade Lake and Cascade Properties are currently open to residents only.
In Washoe Valley, Franktown Road continues to be closed below the 6190 street address, because of the Little Valley Fire, which remains at 20 percent contained.
Although Old U.S. Highway 395A has been opened, Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) is asking the public to stay out of the area due to fire traffic, localized flooding from heavy rains and unstable ground from the burn areas.
Interstate 580 is open in both directions to traffic.
Public safety officials said at a 1 p.m. briefing that a re-entry plan has been established, but it will require coordination with fire management personnel, law enforcement, and utility companies before the area can be re-populated safely.
The re-entry plan called for some residents to be allowed back in Monday or Tuesday to survey their properities only. Officials are hopeful re-entry can begin Wednesday.
WCSO will contact displaced residents directly in order to visit their homes.
Fuji Park in Carson City remain open for evacuated residents with large livestock.
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UPDATE 1:48PM: Highway 89 in South Lake Tahoe remains closed, Cal Fire reports, because debris from the burned area continues to impact the roadway from high winds and torrential rains.
Power has been restored in the area to Cascade Properties, Cascade Lake, Camp Shelly, Camp Concord, Cathedral side of Fallen Leaf Lake, and Taylor Creek Visitors Center.
Mandatory evacuations remain in place, though, for Spring Creek, Cathedral, West shore of Fallen Leaf Lake, Cascade Properties, and Cascade Lake.
The Emerald Fire is currently 90 percent contained after having burned 176 acres since early Friday morning. Three fire crews and six engine companies continue to work the fire along the south shore of Lake Tahoe.
Sierra Front reported that there is a re-entry plan for residents whose homes are in the fire-affected areas of the Little Valley Fire in Washoe Valley.
Some residents will be allowed back in to survey damages on Monday and others will be allowed in Tuesday for surveying only.
Sierra Front said it is hopeful residents should be able to return to their properties by Wednesday.
In the meantime, Sierra Front said that much of Franktown Road remains closed because it is narrows and currently crowded with a lot of fire equipment.
Current concerns on the fire have much to do with free flow of water from heavy rains and the potential for flooding with debris from burn areas.
Public safety is a number one concern, officials said at the 1 p.m. Little Valley Fire briefing.
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UPDATE 11:58AM: The Sierra Front will hold a briefing at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Little Valley Fire incident command post, located at 885 East Lake Blvd, to discuss the reasons why residents in the affected burn area are not being allowed back to their homes yet.
Sierra Front team members will discuss the current hazards in the fire-affected area that are preventing residents from returning to their homes.
Re-entry safety guidelines will require coordination with fire management officials, law enforcement and utility companies before the area can be re-populated safely, the Sierra Front said.
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The Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center (SFIDC) reported Sunday morning that the Little Valley Fire burning in northwestern Washoe Valley is currently stable at 20 percent containment and having burned 3,400 acres.

Burning since early Friday morning just before 2 a.m., the blaze has destroyed 22 homes and 17 outbuildings, including seven barns. One of those barns was a vintage structure located on the historic Twaddle-Pedroli Ranch property, part of Wilson Commons County Park in Washoe Valley.

In spite of the losses, firefighters were able to save 480 homes in the direct vicinity of the fire, the SFIDC reported.

The cause of the Little Valley Fire remains under investigation, the SFIDC reports. However, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District (TMFPD) Chief Charlie Moore said Friday that the prescribed burn in the Little Valley a week or so ago may be to blame.

Interstate 580, Old U.S. Highway 395 Alternate and part of Franktown Road — from street address 6190 and higher — are open to traffic. Franktown Road addresses below 6190 remain closed at this time and mandatory evacuations for that vicinity also remain in place.

Evacuation orders are expected to remain unchanged, the SFIDC said, until crews have achieved 100 percent containment on the fire, because structures continue to be threatened in the area.

The SFIDC and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office are requesting that the public avoid using U.S. 395A due to the fire traffic on the road and the danger of debris from heavy rainfall.

More than 1,000 firefighting personnel were on scene through Saturday, including seven air tankers, four helicopters, 155 engines, 14 hand crews of 20 firefighters each, and 50 overhead personnel.

As crews have been able to maintain the fire's perimeter with the help of Mother Nature, the number of personnel in the field has been reduced.

The SFIDC reports 500 total personnel on site Sunday morning with 60 engines and 10 hand crews actively working the fire.

Four injuries due to smoke inhalation were reported on the first day of the fire, but no additional since.

Both Fuji Park and Silver Saddle Ranch in Carson City are taking in evacuated residents with livestock.

The Rolling Hills Fire, sparked at about 7:30 a.m. Friday morning near the Mount Rose Highway and Edmonton Drive north of Galena High School, is 100 percent contained after burning 15 acres. All local evacuations for that area have been lifted.

A severe weather alert continues through today, the SFIDC reports, with more heavy rain expected Sunday afternoon through Sunday night. Heavy rainfall could trigger debris flows and rock falls in the burned areas, affecting area homes and highways, including I-580 and Franktown Road. The public is urged to use caution in these areas and avoid them if at all possible.

More power outages are also possible with the continuation of inclement weather.

Up at South Lake Tahoe, firefighting crews have achieved 90 percent containment on the Emerald Fire, which has burned about 176 acres since early Friday morning around 1 a.m. near Fallen Leaf Lake and Cascade Lake Trail, Cal Fire reports, with forward progress on the blaze having been stopped.