Reno's Caughlin fire contained, update on map and homes burned.

Damage caused by the Caughlin fire in Reno. Photo November, 20, 2011 by Ben Davis

The fire in Reno that burned until the winds decreased and snow began falling was contained Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. Mark Regan of the Sierra Fire Protection District told Wildfire Today that the incident management team is almost finished with the evaluation of the structures that are damaged, and the count of uninhabitable homes stands at 29, with 7 that are damaged but habitable. The 1,935-acre fire was turned over to the Reno Fire Department at 8:00 a.m. on Monday.

Emergency personnel placed one of two placards on homes to indicate the severity of the damage. Red ones mean it is unsafe to enter the home and residents should call 211. A yellow placard indicates significant damage and it is safe to enter with caution.

During a press conference Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernadez commented on the initial response to the fire. He said the fire call came in at 12:20 a.m. Saturday morning and within two minutes the response crews upgraded the fire. Within minutes it went to a three alarm fire. “We threw everthing we had at it,” says Hernandez.

Crews have been working, sometimes in the snow, to rehab dozer and hand lines, constructing water bars for erosion control, and bringing the landscape back to its natural state. The snow has melted, however, and it’s partly sunny today in Reno.

Here is an unofficial map of the fire made by Bryce Leinan: