Public safety officials started the day with some relatively good news: Using updated mapping data, they were able to adjust the estimated size of the Davis Fire to 4,703 acres – significantly lower than estimates released late Sunday, when the blaze was most active.
Evacuation warnings for the Virginia City area were also lifted early Monday.
“It's always better to overestimate, and find out that the fire had spread less,” said Chris Eddy, public information officer for the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. “It was a pleasant surprise for us.”
Flames died down overnight, after high winds drove explosive growth on the fire’s western flank and sent flames racing up the slope into dense woods.
But anyone who lives in Northern Nevada can tell you the wind kicks up nearly every afternoon. It’s such a reliable feature of life here, it’s got its own nickname – the Washoe Zephyr.
Forecasters expect afternoon gusts up to 35 miles an hour this week. That could make it harder for crews to get a handle on the fire, which is still zero percent contained.
“Whether it's going to be a repeat of yesterday's behavior, is to be seen,” Eddy said. “But I would advise folks in the area to use caution and just be vigilant.”
According to Adam Mayberry with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, the first 48 hours of any wildfire can be chaotic. He urged residents to remain vigilant and keep tabs on the agency’s social media channels, where the most recent updates can be found.
“Sometimes information may be slow in coming, but it's because we want to give out the right information,” he said.
Meanwhile, NV Energy announced it had restored power to most neighborhoods closest to the fire. Spokesperson Katie Jo Collier said at the peak of emergency de-energization on Sunday afternoon, about 17,000 customers lost power.
But the utility has been restoring service as quickly as they can, she added.
“As of now, we are down to about 4,600 customers who are without power, and we are actually working on re-energizing a few lines close to Galena High School,” Collier said.
Some customers will have to wait for power lines to be repaired before their lights can be turned back on, however. According to Collier, 17 poles in Washoe Valley were damaged by the flames and must be replaced.
Crews will begin that work as soon as it’s safe to enter the area.
After local agencies announced onlookers had been impeding first responders yesterday, Eddy with the U.S. Forest Service stressed that residents need to resist the urge to get a closer look at the fire.
“People are curious about what's happening in their neighborhood, but we have fire crews coming in and out of the area,” he said.
