A controlled burn that became a wildfire Friday in the Como area east of Minden was 90 percent contained at 5 p.m. Sunday. The blaze should be completely contained by 6 p.m. today according to Bureau of Land Management fire information officer Joe Nishikita.
"That may change, depending on what happens with the weather," he said. "There were supposed to be some severe winds, but we don't know whether or not that front will come through."
Approximately 1,767 acres of pinon, juniper, sage and grass about 16 miles east of Minden in the Pine Nut Range were charred when the prescribed burn, initiated on Wednesday, flared out of control. Fire information officer Mark Struble said the burn behaved as expected Wednesday and Thursday, but Friday's 40 mph winds caused spot blazes 1/2 to 1 mile past the burn's perimeter.
The wildfire created a remote risk to two small cabins, the closest one mile from the eastern perimeter of the fire. But no homes were threatened and no injuries, fatalities, or lost property were reported. Estimated cost of the blaze thus far is $92,000.
The Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Nevada Department of Forestry, and numerous other agencies were represented on the Sierra Front Incident Management Team handling the blaze. The majority of the mop-up work was assigned to six hand crews, two forest service Hot-Shot crews, one BIA type-2 crew, and three Nevada Department of Forestry inmate crews.
