Investigators released the likely cause of the Davis fire nearly eight months after it sparked.
They believe the fire started from an improperly extinguished campfire or a warming fire in the area.
The fire began in September of 2024 at Davis Creek Regional Park, just south of Reno, burning more than a dozen homes and buildings.
The fire has been classified as accidental, and no criminal charges are being pursued.
"The Davis Creek Park is in unincorporated Washoe County," said Adam Mayberry, communications manager for Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue. "It is within Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District jurisdiction. We worked extremely closely with the Washoe County Sheriff's Office as well as the Nevada State Fire Marshal Office and Bureau of Land Management. An extraordinary amount of effort and time went into this investigation."
He goes on to say, "Today actually marks almost the eighth month, almost to the day, of this fire, so it's taken us really that long because of the complexity, the amount of time that goes into lab work, and just the close coordination because we wanted to make sure we exhausted all avenues and all options before we really brought some closure to the community on the cause of the fire."
Mayberry tells us, some of the eyewitnesses saw a single tree was spotted initially catching on fire, and he says near that tree was a ring of rocks that somebody, perhaps overnight or previously, had some sort of campfire or warming fire in, and it only takes one ember to really trigger a massive wildfire.
He wants to reiterate to the community, and hopes everyone understands, just how dangerous wildfires are.
Mayberry says, "I think it's really important for the community to understand just how catastrophic fires can be. And when fire agencies throughout our region, as well as the National Weather Service, issue Red Flag Warnings, when we talk about the dangerous threat based on weather conditions, vegetation, and the dryness of the fuels, when we talk about how dangerous that is and the increased threat for wildfires, we encourage all our residents to take that seriously."
When fire restrictions are put into place, they are put in place for a reason.
"Because our fire officers and our fire professionals are the experts, and it only takes one spark to trigger a massive wildfire," he said.
Mayberry also provided additional details on the circumstances surrounding the fire.
"The conditions that occurred on September 7 of 2024 that pushed this fire to the north, the northwest, resembled largely the same conditions as many of the worst fires we've experienced recently here in the Truckee Meadows," he said. "When you think of the Washoe Drive Fire, the Caughlin Fire, the Pinehaven Fire, and the Calahan Ranch Fire, all those fires ignited and spread due to the rapid conditions and the gusty conditions of the wind and the dryness of the fuels; all those factors were very similar."
He says the day the fire happened was a red flag warning day, and fire restrictions were in place.
Mayberry says, "It's really incumbent on all of us, whether we're in our county or city or state or federal parks, to keep a close eye, particularly in those hot, dry, windy conditions, when it comes to open flames, and if there are restrictions in place, report that to park authorities immediately or law enforcement immediately."
He also talks about some of the losses the fire caused: "There's over $9 million in property loss when you take into account the 13 residential structures that were lost. We have a church that was lost, a number of smaller buildings as well, an extraordinarily catastrophic, dangerous fire that fortunately did not result in a loss of life."
He also gave some tips for those who may be thinking of camping.
"When you go camping or when you use a county, city, state, or federal park, make sure you understand what the rules are. Make sure if, in fact, you can use open flames, if you can barbecue, if you can use a campfire. That's really the priority. If you can, make sure you understand the restrictions that surround that. In Washoe County's instance, campfires are not allowed in the day-use area; they are allowed on the overnight camp side, but not during fire restrictions, like we saw in September."
He also wants to remind everyone to make sure that you douse and extinguish those warming or campfires thoroughly; make sure you pour plenty of water, stir it, pour more water, and monitor it.
Just be very cognizant there's no smoke coming out of that fire ring, that BBQ pit, or whatever the case may be.
He also has additional advice.
"If you're recreating outdoors, even if not camping, have water or a small hand tool so in the event you do spark a fire, maybe from target shooting, maybe from grinding metal, or engaging in outdoor activity that triggers sparks, have a small fire extinguisher, a couple gallons of water if possible, and hand tools if out in the wilderness so you can put that fire out as quickly as possible, and of course, have good service so you can call 911 in the event you do see a fire."
He also says if you are engaging in target shooting, to avoid doing that on a windy day.
Mayberry goes on to say, "You should really treat every hot, dry, warm day as a red flag day. If we all treated every hot, warm, and windy day as a red flag day, the fire threat would likely go down because all of us are in this together; it really is a team approach."
He adds, "We don't want to see another Davis Fire any time soon."
Mayberry mentions that investigations like this take a long time.
"It took some time; there was a lot of laboratory work that went into this fire too, which took a lot of additional time."
He also says, "We want to make sure we get it right. We are very grateful to all the campers, the recreational users, and those that were driving through Washoe Valley and I-580 who took pictures and videos and sent them to us. There were countless individuals the Sheriff's Office in particular interviewed, and we're just extraordinarily grateful for the very comprehensive, thorough investigation, and it does take time. We wanted to get it right. We wanted to bring some closure to our community and continue to remind them how thankful and appreciative we are."
And as for identifying someone who may have caused the fire?
"We recognize that there are many that would like to lay blame on an individual or individuals," he said. "But we just simply came up short in terms of really identifying a sole individual who started this fire, and if anyone has any information, we can always reopen the investigation, and we encourage you to contact us."
