The Poeville Fire has burned 3,010 acres, destroyed homes and other buildings and prompted evacuations over the weekend. Fire crews say they expect to have the fire contained some time on Tuesday. Currently it's only at 70% containment, but on Monday night they will did not work on the fire. It's a major indicator of where they are in the process.
Nearly 200 firefighters called it a night, following a 16 hour shift battling the Poeville Fire. Some will sleep in their beds, others in their trucks, or even on Peavine Mountain itself. "The acreage did not increase Monday, so there's no need for them to work all night. They need to rest," said Nevada Interagency Team 3 Fire Information Officer Dorothy Harvey.
No new buildings have been damaged since the eight that were destroyed over the weekend. Only hand crews are now fighting the fire. "They're looking for any hot spots. Any problem areas. They are also looking at areas that have been impacted," said Harvey.
Firefighters caught a break due to weather conditions. "The wind actually changed direction and blew back on itself. What it does is blow the fire back toward the burnt area and kind of puts itself out," said Harvey.
Rainfall this past weekend didn't help as much as you may think. "When it rained, the top might be wet but the underneath is dry. The fire will burn in the underneath," said Harvey.
Grass and sage are the main fuels for the fire. Firefighters are hoping the winds don't kick up, which would allow the fire to spend the night petering out. In the meantime, the firefighters will stock up on water, grab a bite to eat, wait, and recharge. "Worst case scenario we are looking at would be that the fire would heat up. There would be a hot spot and we would grab it and run with it," said Harvey.
Officials have lifted evacuations that were issued over the weekend and everyone who is able has been allowed to return home.
