‘Shocking and overwhelming’: Davis Fire claims homes as evacuation orders spread

Aaron Sims was enjoying the Northern Nevada Pride festival on Saturday when he got a call from his mother that would turn the celebration sour: His family was evacuating to avoid a fire coming down the hill.

His mother, brother, sister-in-law and three nephews packed up their dogs, cats, snakes and lizards and found a safe place to stay in Carson City. It wasn’t until the next morning, when he saw pictures of the home engulfed in flames in the Reno Gazette-Journal, that he realized it was gone.

“It’s still shocking and overwhelming. I don’t think it’s really set in for a lot of us,” Sims told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Wednesday. “It’s one of those things where it would feel more real if we were at the property and saw what was left over. Right now, we’re just hearing about it.”

An effort to raise money for Sims’ family had resulted in $12,000 of donations as of Wednesday evening.

Sims, who works as chair of the Rural Nevada Democratic Caucus, is one of many who have lost their family homes to the Davis Fire, a fire of about 5,800 acres that has spurred Gov. Joe Lombardo to declare a state of emergency and almost all the state’s firefighting resources — including 34 personnel from Clark County — to mobilize to prevent its spread.

“We are stronger as a result of how we deal with crisis, and we’re going to move forward,” Lombardo said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon. “I feel wholly in my heart that the state of Nevada is going to be better as a result of our ability to address this issue.”

Fire slows, but evacuations still abound

The fire was 37 percent contained as of 5:50 p.m., even though high winds have prevented planes and helicopters from fighting it from the sky, officials said.

Overall, high winds that prompted the National Weather Service’s rare “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning haven’t brought the fire past existing containment lines, officials said.

Weather Service meteorologist Heather Richards told the Review-Journal that wind gusts near the fire are expected to be about 10 to 12 mph — a noticeable downgrade in intensity from Wednesday’s 70 mph gusts. The agency does not expect to renew the red flag warning when it expires at 8 p.m., she said.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Stewart Turner, fire behavior analyst. “But every hour where that fire is not spreading knocks some more length off of that potential spread that we may see the rest of the afternoon.”

Evacuation warnings that were expanded early Wednesday to include portions of South Reno were still in place as of Wednesday afternoon. Those in areas under a warning, not an order, aren’t required to leave their homes but may be soon and should be prepared to, officials said.

Good morning Reno. We received an update this morning on the #DavisFire. The new evacuation warning area now extends into parts of South Reno. We want to remind everyone to have a plan and have a go bag ready. We are ready to help residents if evacuations are needed pic.twitter.com/SlsI4eHndu

— Reno Police (@RenoPolice) September 11, 2024

Cause still under investigation

Police are still investigating the cause of the fire, though about 90 percent of them are human-caused.

Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said officials believe the fire started in the Davis Creek area and are asking the public to come forward if they were in the area the day the fire sparked. Deputies have begun to interview people who may have been involved, he said.

“If you think you saw anything out there, please reach out,” Balaam said. “Even if you think it doesn’t really matter, that one small piece of information may be what helps us solve this investigation.”

Meanwhile, the human impact of the fire has been wide-reaching.

Sims, who lost his family home, said he’s not sure what costs insurance will cover, and is instead more focused on making sure his nephews and mother have the basic necessities.

“We’re not necessarily sure how long that’s going to take, or what the next step is going to be,” Sims said. “It’s all going to take a lot of time to recover, get through it and feel better about our situation.”

The Nevada Division of Insurance is encouraging evacuees to keep all receipts on hand if they plan to file a claim. Almost all major companies will reimburse them for up to two weeks when the use of their home is prohibited by a civil, governmental or military authority.

A list of organizations accepting donations for those most affected is available on Washoe County’s website. In lieu of physical donations, the U.S. Forest Service said it’s accepting thank you cards or written messages of support that it can display during briefings.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly on X.