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Fire erupts on Kingsbury Grade

by Gregory Crofton, Tribune staff writer

About 30 firefighters battled a wildland fire that spread Thursday afternoon on the eastern slope of Kingsbury Grade less than a mile from the summit.

The more than one-quarter-of-an-acre blaze, reported around 2:15 p.m., was extinguished by 5 p.m. Tahoe-Douglas firefighters, who have a station several hundred feet from the summit, was the first of five agencies to arrive at the scene.

Winds around 30 mph strengthened the blaze, but two roads, an abandoned road at the south end of the fire and Kingsbury Grade, acted as natural fire breaks and slowed its spread.



Tahoe-Douglas Fire Chief Tim Smith said three 10-person hand crews from Nevada Division of Forestry also assisted at the scene. One hand crew is expected to work through the night to ensure the fire area remains contained.

Nevada Division of Forestry said the cause of the blaze was undetermined. Smith said it was difficult to figure out the fire’s point of origin because of shifting winds. Kingsbury Grade had to be shut down for 45 minutes to accommodate fire equipment.


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