A red flag warning was issued for Washoe County and some of the surrounding areas Friday until 9:00 p.m. due to extreme heat and high winds. Both Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue and the Reno Fire Department say folks should avoid doing anything that could generate a spark on days with similar conditions. That includes everything from mowing your lawn to target shooting.
“We have responded to a number of fires this year so far as a result of target shooting. So, those are activities that we just ask you to postpone. I encourage you to, when you engage in those kinds of activities, do them in the morning when it's cooler, but on a red flag warning day just completely postpone them altogether,” said Adam Mayberry with TMFR.
Other activities to avoid include welding, recreating on ATV’s and OHV’s, dragging chains while driving or towing, and even lighting up the grill.
The reason high winds are a factor in issuing a warning is they can easily spread sparks to dry vegetation and fuel a fire once it's begun.
TMFR and RFD say they prepared by making sure they were fully staffed and urged people to take advantage of those resources if a fire was sparked.
However, they wanted to remind folks that these fires can happen anywhere at any time.
“Some people would think, ‘Well, it has to be out away from the city for it to happen.’ It's not true. You go through a lot of different parts of town and there's swaths of, of brush and of grasses in between the houses. And any of those are, are primed for a brush fire that can then directly affect houses and, and other structures,” said RFD Battalion Chief Roger Mooney.
Both agencies are asking the public to make smart choices on days with red fire warnings and help them out by preventing fires.
