1 Dead, 25 homes damaged by Nevada wildfire

Authorities said that at least one as yet unidentified person died and more than a dozen were admitted to nearby hospitals. EFE/File

Reno, Nevada. November 19.  A powerful wildfire that broke out in the state of Nevada left one person dead and damaged at least 25 homes, officials said.

A state of emergency was declared in the city of Reno and in Washoe and Nevada Counties after the fire had scorched some 2,000 acres in the area over the last 12 hours, CNN reported Friday.

Authorities said that at least one as yet unidentified person died and more than a dozen were admitted to nearby hospitals.

The fire was detected shortly after midnight Thursday and spread rapidly for about an hour, Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said.

The network cited the official as saying that “the wind was probably the most challenging component of the response…it played a major role in how quickly and aggressively the fire did spread.”

The blaze moved forward on three fronts, according to Hernandez, and some 10,000 people were evacuated.

Nonetheless, he said that the intervention of firefighters saved between 4,000 and 4,500 homes.

The National Weather Service has forecast 56 kph (35 mph) winds out of the southwest, with gusts of up to 80 kph (50 mph).

Hernandez said in a statement cited online by CNN that the progress of the fire been stopped, though “this does not mean that the fire is under control, but we have stopped the forward movement in the central part” of Reno.

by Agencias