Jennifer Burton
Channel 2 News
When the wind-driven Washoe Drive Fire tore through the hills, it took valuable vegetation with it, leaving nothing to slow the rain that followed right on its heels.
Fire crews stepped up immediately digging ditches and preparing for the runoff. Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez says the crews cut rain bars into the hill to stop the water from running straight down.
"As the rain came down we had crews out monitoring the creeks, streams and culverts, and to make sure they weren't being obstructed and were functioning as they should," Hernandez says.
It turns out the rain saved valuable time in putting out the fire.
"It was a good thing in that it helped extinguish little pockets of fire that we had all over the place," says Hernandez. "We had several hundred acres where we had tree stumps and small brush that was still burning. Too much rain and it becomes a runoff issue."
Fire officials are already debriefing the multi-agency response to the wildfire, and they're looking at what went well and what needs improvement.
"There are a lot of little areas that we'll look at, but the global response was excellent," Hernandez says.
Four days after the fire disrupted lives, many homeowners are thankful for the quick action by first responders.
"They got here very quickly and they took really good care of me," says Fred Stiteler. "I had fire on all four sides of my house. Everything I had is pretty much unscathed."
The Reno Fire Department has already received dozens of e-mails and phone calls from people thanking them for the work they did on the fire. Chief Hernandez says he listened to the messages on Monday.
"It's very humbling, but for the most part it's been positive," says Hernandez. "A lot of work went into extinguishing that fire. Some of those crews worked 21, 22, 23, hours straight. But we did what we had to do."
There of course will be places for improvement too says the fire Chief. The fire department is working on its "after-action" report now.
