Fire burns near Como

Click to Enlarge Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal A large smoke plume rises from the Como fire on Rawe Peak in Dayton on Thursday afternoon. Officials said the fire was started by an excavator working in the area and resources from around the region continued to arrive to the remote site. Get News Feeds

Staff Report
May 9, 2008

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A wildland fire near the old mining town of Como was 400 acres and growing at 9:30 p.m., according to the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden.

"Basically what we have is another one of these wind-driven fires," said Franklin Pemberton, spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, Carson Ranger District.

The fire was reported at 2:55 p.m. at the end of Como Road, seven miles southeast of Dayton, and 17 miles east of Carson City, near the junction of Como Mine Road and Dayton Valley Road in the Pine Nut Mountains. Initial reports indicated it may have been sparked by an excavator that knocked out a power pole.

Pemberton said the fire was burning in heavy sage brush, pinon and juniper pine.

"There's two things that they were worried about - there's the Rawe Peak communications site that's used by the Forest Service and Lyon County and Storey County, and the fire was about three-quarters of a mile from a seasonal cabin," he said. "Crews are working to protect both the cabin and communications site."

Pemberton said the terrain is rugged and fire crews are having to be careful of a number of abandoned mines in the area.

"We're just trying to keep the firefighters safe," said Pemberton. Elevation for the Como Mine is 7,124 feet, according to Trails.com

As of 9:30 p.m., four hand crews, 10 engines, four water tenders, one bulldozer, an air tanker and an air attack plane brought in from Chico, Calif., were joined by approximately 150 personnel.

There was no estimation on containment, Pemberton said.