Picking Up The Pieces After The Range Two Fire Near Elko

The Range 2 Fire didn't destroy any homes after it started September 30th, but it charred nine-thousand acres of the Lamoille Canyon south of Elko.

The canyon was open for just one weekend and hundreds of cars drove up each of the four days they could get access.

While most of it will grow back, those closest to the damage say you can't replace the history lost.

"I think a lot of sadness and people are processing this and it's a hit to the community," Naaman Horn of U.S. Forest Service said. "We get a handful of people driving from Florida, California-- and they have the Triple-A magazine with the cover of Lamoille Canyon with the fall colors and they're 'I'm here for the fall colors' and there's not so much of that right now."

Horn said in just 12 hours, over 8,000 acres burned. The Range 2 Fire burned 9,196 acres total. He said 35 to 40 mph winds pushed the fire up the canyon and despite crews responding within the first 45 minutes of it being reported, it might be a couple of decades before you see some of the damage healed.

"Although, if you look at the hillside and it's black, it doesn't mean it was as severe of a burn as if the ground were white. And so that means it burned hotter if it were white." Horn said. "So a lot of this is black here, so that means it just burned off the top of the plants and the roots bases and seeds are still in pretty good shape, and the soil is as well. So if that's the case then a lot of those roots will repopulate the area."

Horn said people should still be careful in the area, especially driving since a guard rail burned down.

A famous lodge in the community was also lost in the Range 2 Fire. 

The Elko Lions Club, Camp Lamoille was built in 1937 but the Boy Scouts of America. Among the nine A-frame cabins, five were a total loss and one was severely damaged.

"The emotional loss is much more than the physical loss, but I can't even calculate what the financial loss will be yet," Chuck Stout, Camp Lamoille Chairman for the Elko Lions Club, said.

Stout said there's nothing left except for the foundation, some brick stairs and a chimney.

"It brought tears to my eyes; it's near and dear to my heart," Stout said. "We will rebuild, that's first and foremost on everyone's mind."

For information on how to help rebuild the Elko Lions Club Camp, visit their Go Fund Me page here.