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Hundreds return home after wildfire destroys home along California-Nevada border near Reno


Hundreds return home after wildfire destroys home along California-Nevada border near Reno

Fire spreads near California-Nevada border


Fire spreads near California-Nevada border

01:25

Hundreds of people were allowed to return home Tuesday after fleeing a wildfire west of Reno that also closed Interstate 80 along the California-Nevada border.

About 170 firefighters continued to work to secure the area and extinguish hot spots near Verdi, a town 17 kilometers from downtown Reno. One home was destroyed by the fire, which broke out Sunday evening and quickly consumed about 2.5 square kilometers of brush and forest.

No one was seriously injured. The Nevada State Fire Marshal is still investigating the cause of the fire, which broke out near the Gold Ranch exit on I-80 on the Truckee River about 2 miles from the California border and 13 miles west of Reno.

Evacuation orders or warnings were issued during the night from Sunday to Monday for around 400 houses threatened by the flames.

The fire was 8% contained as of Tuesday, according to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, but aerial photos showed no active flames or significant smoke.

More than 300 firefighters who were on duty Monday through Tuesday were able to secure firebreaks and will continue to conduct cleanup operations, the federal interagency firefighting team led by Commander Brad Milam said in a statement Tuesday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but a burning car was noticed immediately at the beginning of the incident.

The Nevada Highway Patrol said it arrested the driver of the vehicle, identified as Andrew Nick, on suspicion of driving under the influence.

On Sunday evening, around 27,000 people were temporarily without power, but Nevada Energy reported on Tuesday that all but about a dozen people had power restored.

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