Baccarat Fire Near Stead Expected to Be Fully Contained on Thursday

The Baccarat Fire is still 10,520 acres and is expected to be fully contained on Thursday.

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Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue officials say they believe the Baccarat Fire was human-caused. Firefighters continue to work on the location of the fire burning near Red Rock Road north of Reno. It was just 10% contained Monday night. Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue officials say crews will remain overnight to put down any flare-ups between Bird Springs Road and Chuckwagon Road.

Most of the firefighters who started on this fire, wrapped up 30-hour shifts Monday evening. Eight thousand acres have burned, but no structures have been damaged and no one hurt.

As the sun rose Monday morning, Tonya Phennig was amazed at what she saw as she headed to work. It wasn't the sunrise, but a wall of smoke. "The flames had already come down and there were hot spots everywhere. I looked up behind the fire truck toward the mountain and there was this huge line of fire. I did ask the fireman if I could get through and he said they were monitoring it," said Phennig. " Red Rock Road acted as a fire break, so it was a good thing," said Truckee Meadows Fire And Rescue's Fire Chief Charles Moore.

Fire Chief Moore says more than 70 firefighters were battling the Baccarat Fire on two fronts in the early morning hours Monday. One by Red Rock Road, the other by the mountains near Hallelujah Junction. "The wind picked up and then it just took off on the firefighters," said Chief Moore.

Overnight 75 to 100 homes were threatened by the flames. A busy fire season has kept fire departments at the ready, remaining at Preparedness Level 5, making the most of the limited resources they have. "There was a lot of bulldozer activity. I would say we did a lot of good work by the aircraft. We didn't have a lot of firefighters to put on the ground because of the scarcity of resources throughout the Western U.S.," said Moore.

Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue says as the winds died down on Monday, they were able to better battle the blaze. They reducing the number of homes threatened to a dozen. For Phennig, who has experienced 3 fires in the last 4 months, the firefighters' work is appreciated. "These firefighters are a blessing," said Phennig.

Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue says crews will be working along Red Rock Road for the next two to three days as they finish mopping up. They are ask people to be careful driving along that stretch of road during this time.

Crews continue to fight the Baccarat Fire burning in the Petersen Mountain Range near Stead.

Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue say the 8,000 acre fire is threatening about 75 and 100 homes and is 10 percent contained.

TMFR said earlier that evacuations were advised for west of Red Rock Road between Chuckwagon Road and Columbia Hill Road. But they say homeowners between Bird Springs and Chuckwagon can return home Tuesday at 6 a.m.

An evacuation center is set up at Washoe County Senior Center at 1155 East 9th Street in Reno. A livestock evacuation center is located at Reno-Sparks Livestock Event Center at 1350 North Wells Avenue.

TMFR says crews have found where the fire started, but they say the cause of the brush fire remains under investigation. The fire started around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.