Off-Roading Fire Prevention

Shooting Safety Tips for Wildfire Prevention

Campfire Safety

Towing Safety Tips

Learn quick tips on how you can avoid sparking a wildfire.

Off-Roading Causes Fires

Here's a visual example of how careless off-roading can effect Nevada's wildlands for future generations.

How to Report a Wildfire

The public helps responding agencies by reporting fires in real time. Before you report a fire there are some things to keep in mind. Make sure you are in a safe location, don't approach the fire or put yourself or first responders in harm’s way. While wildfire reporting and dispatch processes vary by location, providing information like: where you think the fire is located; people, livestock, or property you have seen in the area; or smoke director or color can helpful to the responding agency.

If you need to report a wildfire in Nevada, there are a few different options. 9-1-1 can be used to report wildfires in an emergency, but you can also call the fire dispatch and communications centers to report a fire.  For Winnemucca and Battle Mountain BLM Districts, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Santa Rosa Forest Service Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest call the Central Nevada Interagency Dispatch Center at 775-623-3444. For Elko County and the surrounding area, call Elko Interagency Dispatch at 775-748-4000. For Southern Nevada, Las Vegas Interagency Communication Center, call 702-631-2350. For Carson City and the surrounding area, call the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center at 775-883-5995. If you would like to learn more about fire reporting and dispatch, read the recent story in the Elko Daily Free Press about the Elko Interagency Dispatch Center.

Keep Fire Safety in Mind this Hunting Season

Hunting season has begun in Elko County and will continue through December. There have been high levels of fuel throughout northern and central Nevada in 2017, and when you are out hunting, it is important to keep fire safety in mind.

From gun maintenance to vehicle safety, there are many ways you can keep yourself, your communities, and the public lands safe this season. Not only will ensuring your gun is properly maintained improve your accuracy, but it will decrease the likelihood that an unintended shot will hit a rock or dry grass and spark a wildfire. Campfires are allowed in established and dispersed campsites, however there are many ways to make your campfire safe. Fire pits should have a rock or earthen ring and no fuel within 20 feet. Checking your spark arrestors and tire pressure; preventing dragging chains, and other general car maintenance can decrease the risks of sparks from your vehicle igniting a fire. Whether you are going shooting or having a campfire, bring a shovel, water, and a fire extinguisher with you. Use water and a shovel to stir the ash into your campfire, and make sure it is cool to the touch before you leave.

For more information about burning or burning restrictions within the Elko BLM District, call the Elko Dispatch non-emergency line at 775-777-7300.

News Release

WINNEMUCCA DISTRICT OFFICE FOR RELEASE: July 10, 2017 
CONTACT: Bradley Milam, Fire Prevention Specialist, (775) 455-6675, bmilam@blm.gov or
Erica Hupp, Public Affairs Officer (775) 355-5311, ehupp@fs.fed.us

BLM Winnemucca and Battle Mountain District, and USFS Santa Rosa Ranger District go into Fire Restrictions July 13th

Winnemucca, Nev. – Increased fuels due to the wet winter and spring, drying vegetation, high fuel loading, and increasing daytime temperatures have prompted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Winnemucca District, Battle Mountain District, and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Santa Rosa Ranger District to announce the implementation of fire restrictions on all lands under their jurisdiction in northern Nevada effective Thursday, July 13th, at 12:01 a.m. and lasting until further notice. These restrictions are in addition to the current statewide shooting closure.

The wet winter and spring made for denser fine fuels this summer throughout northern Nevada. The combination of these fine fuels and exposure to human-caused ignitions, creates a potentially dangerous situation for firefighters, the public, property, and our natural resources.

Nevada State Fire Prevention Order

News Release

Bureau of Land Management,Carson City District, Contact: Lisa Ross, 775-885-6107

Nevada Division of Forestry,Western Region, Contact: Eric Antle, 775-315-4572

Bureau of Indian Affairs,Western Nevada Agency, Contact: Gerry Emm, 775-887-3500
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,Contact: Carl Lunderstadt, 775-423-5128, Ext. 235

Fire Restrictions in Western Nevada to Begin June 30

Due to the historic wet winter and spring, drying vegetation, increasing daytime temperatures, and several human-caused fires the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Carson City District Office; the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF), Western Region; the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Western Nevada Agency; and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge Complex announce the implementation of fire restrictions on all lands under their jurisdiction effective Friday, June 30, at 12:01 a.m. and lasting until further notice.

Vegetation in western Nevada and eastern California is significantly more then we have seen in previous years (including 2016) because of the wet winter and spring. Warmer than average temperatures have increased the rate of vegetation dry-out. A large crop of grass and brush is evident at lower elevations and trees and other forest vegetation at higher elevations is quickly drying out. People are encouraged to safely enjoy the public lands, bearing in mind that human-caused fires threaten human life, private property, and public land resources every summer.

The potential for devastating fires during the summer is very real. Report fires to the Sierra Front Interagency Fire Dispatch Center, Minden, Nevada, 775-883-5995, or dial 911.

One Less Threat to Livestock- Careless Off-Roading Can Spark Fires

One good way to help prevent wildfires is by maintaining spark arrestors in your off road vehicles. All internal combustion engines create carbon particles as a by-product of burning gas. Spark arrestors catch carbon particles before they can leave your vehicle and start a fire. Modifying or removing a spark arrestor will cause the machine to not function properly and could start a wildfire.

Extreme Fire Hazards Causing Above Average Wildfire Volume

A very wet winter across Northern Nevada has produced tremendous annual invasive grass​loading and continuity​ of fuel, especially​ in lower elevations. ​Non-native grass​​ growth is 200-300% above average across much of ​Northern Nevada. Recent large fires in Nevada have displayed extreme fire behavior and a high resistance to control. Very hot and dry conditions over the last few weeks have caused live and dead fuel moisture to rapidly decrease to critical levels. 

​This has led to an increase in preventable human caused fires. Fire managers are asking the public to be extra careful when outdoors and traveling through areas where a wildfire could start. ​

One Less Family Without a Home- Parking on Dry Grass Starts Fires

All of the above average moisture that Nevada received this year has increased grass growth. Once the climate heats up during hotter months, the grass becomes a fire accelerant.

Here are some quick tips to avoid starting a wildfire by parking on dry grass:

• Park only in designated, rocky or paved areas as hot exhaust systems can ignite dry grass.
• Park in areas that are free of anything that can catch on fire.

Wildland Fires in Nevada