Remote Surveillance Trailer in Gardnerville, NV

Update: All the units destroyed and damaged in Friday’s fire had a Pit Road address, according to Douglas County Emergency Manager Kara Easton.

Pulse Point indicated a 1281 address for the fire, which are the apartments due south of Pollen Court.

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As many as 10 units on Pit Road were destroyed with 15-20 others whose residents will be displaced, according to East Fork Fire Chief Alan Ernst.

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, Ernst said there were no reports of any injuries or people missing.

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A shelter has been established by the American Red Cross at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center.

A Red Cross spokeswoman said they are looking at around 25 individuals requiring shelter only six days before Christmas.

Right now we are looking at 10 units affected, with about 25 individuals needing shelter.

Evacuations were conducted as the wind driven fire that was first reported at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

The fire broke out in 2-3 duplexes near the middle of the Gardnerville Ranchos commercial core, closing the area to traffic on Friday morning.

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The fire is actively burning with East Fork, Tahoe Douglas and Carson City firefighters on scene.

Several of the duplexes have caught fire in the wind.

Douglas County deputies have shut down Tillman and Kimmerling to traffic for a time.

As of around 1 p.m. Friday, deputies were preparing to reopen Tillman and Kimmerling. Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team members were being assigned to conduct a hard closure of Short Court, Pit Road and Pollen Court.

That closure is likely to remain in place into the evening.

At one point deputies were going door to door in surrounding neighborhoods to alert residents of the possible threat from the fire.

High winds blasted the fire east sending up a smoke plume visible from across Carson Valley.

East Fork firefighters called for help from as far away as Reno and Sparks.

“Please avoid the area to allow fire resources to work,” the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office asked in a push notification.

There were early reports of residents inside the duplexes when the fire was first reported but as of 1:20 p.m. there have been no reports of casualties.

A stayput order for the Ranchos schools was lifted at 1:15 p.m., except for those students who live in the apartments near Pollen, and no one’s going into there, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

NV Energy reports 17 homes and businesses in the Gardnerville Ranchos without power right in the vicinity of the fire. The 89460 area code has six outages and 2,390 customers without power.

According to NVenergy.com, 3,750 customers are without power in Douglas County, many of whom are affected by the public safety outage due to the wind. However, East Fork responded to a report of wires down at Pine Nut Road and Sawmill that might have expanded the outage.

With high winds, additional power outages are possible through the day.

Firefighters battled a ferocious wind-driven blaze Friday that gutted up to 10 apartment units in Gardnerville Ranchos, forcing evacuations and road closures around Pollen Court in the commercial core as high gusts hurled embers eastward. East Fork Fire Chief Alan Ernst confirmed around 1:30 p.m. that crews halted forward progress on the fire, first reported at 11:30 a.m., with possible total loss of 2-3 duplexes and 15-20 residents displaced. No injuries or missing persons were reported despite early fears of people inside when flames erupted. Tahoe Douglas, Carson City and mutual aid from Reno/Sparks swarmed the scene amid visible smoke plumes.

Douglas County Sheriff's deputies knocked doors in surrounding neighborhoods while blocking Tillman, Kimmerling, Pit Road and Short Court; Tillman/Kimmerling reopened by 1 p.m. but hard closures held into evening. Ranchos schools went stay-put until 1:15 p.m. except apartment-area students; Plum Creek Elementary evacuated separately. NV Energy cut power to 17 sites plus 948 in 89460 zip amid risks. Northern Nevada Red Cross activated Douglas County Community & Senior Center at 1329 Waterloo Lane for evacuees with snacks/blankets pending shelter needs.

Wind-Fueled Spread And Response

High winds blasted flames across dry fuels, spotting ahead and prompting widespread calls for air support grounded by gusts. East Fork's multi-agency push focused structure protection; no confirmed ignition cause yet. Sheriff urged avoiding Pollen Court/Pit/Short to free responders. Red Cross assessed 10+ units impacted beyond destruction tally.

NV Energy outages hit fire vicinity; power restoration awaits safety clearance. Meanwhile, Door-to-door alerts preceded voluntary evacuations; no mandatory orders but traffic controls prevented exposure. Red Cross center transitioned as needed; large animals eyed fairgrounds elsewhere. Gardnerville fire today map would show core Ranchos hit with plume visible valley-wide. Crews mopped up into evening watching wind shifts.

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It was still fairly still out as FireDawgs set up the emergency resource trailer at the Genoa Volunteer Fire Station 6 a.m. today. They were fighting with the coffee maker when I was there but should have that squared away.

The public safety outage affecting Genoa has been extended to 5 p.m. on the chance that some more wind will turn up. NV Energy shut it down right at midnight to 750 homes and businesses along the base of the Carson Range in the Valley.

You can hear the generators running along Jacks Valley Road this morning and one resident still had Christmas lights lit. For those without generators, it’s going to be a long day.

Reach for Joy is getting an even earlier start today with distribution between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 3:30-7 p.m. They’re going to be back out at the Ritchford 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and at High Sierra Fellowship 8 a.m. to noon Sunday.

County commissioners rejected the final reading of the fire codes on Thursday, though they approved the rest of the building code. The issue was the Wildland Urban Interface maps which the fire districts adopted but the county got pushback on.

No one opted for an ambulance ride from a 2:15 p.m. vehicle collision at Highway 395 and Stephanie on Thursday. A crash at Spooner Junction around 4 p.m. tied up firefighters for an hour. I don’t know what happened there.

East Fork firefighters responded to a shed fire 1:15 a.m. today at 1920 Wiseman Lane. The shed was a total loss, and might have been home to some chickens.

According to the NV Energy wind gauge in Alpine View, a 49 mph gust was recorded at 1:10 a.m. The gauge at Walley’s recorded a 45 mph gust at 6:20 a.m. Neither of those were the peak gust as of 7:15 a.m. That spot on Highway 88 between Centerville and Mottsville recorded a 60 mph gust.

A wind advisory is in place for Carson Valley through 4 a.m. Saturday. There’s a chance of rain after 10 a.m., but I don’t see a lot of clouds out this morning. Southwest winds 20-30 mph gusting to 45 mph will be jingling the bells with a forecast high of 61 degrees.

Kurt Hildebrand is editor of The Record-Courier. Contact him at khildebrand@recordcourier.com or 775-782-5122.

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Nev. – Firefighters have stopped forward progress in a fire that may have destroyed as many as 10 units with 15-20 others whose residents will be displaced, according to East Fork Fire Chief Alan Ernst.

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, Ernst said there were no reports of any injuries or people missing.

The major fire broke out in 2-3 duplexes on Pollen Court near the middle of the Gardnerville Ranchos commercial core, closing the area to traffic on Friday morning.

Evacuations have been conducted as the wind driven fire that was first reported at 11:30 a.m. Friday.

The fire is actively burning with East Fork, Tahoe Douglas and Carson City firefighters on scene.

Several of the duplexes have caught fire in the wind.

Douglas County deputies have shut down Tillman and Kimmerling to traffic for a time.

As of around 1 p.m. Friday, deputies were preparing to reopen Tillman and Kimmerling. Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team members were being assigned to conduct a hard closure of Short Court, Pit Road and Pollen Court.

That closure is likely to remain in place into the evening.

At one point deputies were going door to door in surrounding neighborhoods to alert residents of the possible threat from the fire.

High winds blasted the fire east sending up a smoke plume visible from across Carson Valley.

East Fork firefighters called for help from as far away as Reno and Sparks.

“Please avoid the area to allow fire resources to work,” the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office asked in a push notification.

There were early reports of residents inside the duplexes when the fire was first reported but as of 1:20 p.m. there have been no reports of casualties.

A stayput order for the Ranchos schools was lifted at 1:15 p.m., except for those students who live in the apartments near Pollen, and no one’s going into there, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

NV Energy reports 17 homes and businesses in the Gardnerville Ranchos without power right in the vicinity of the fire. The 89460 area code has six outages and 948 customers without power.

According to NVenergy.com, 1,699 customers are without power in Douglas County, many of whom are affected by the public safety outage due to the wind.

UPDATE 12/12/25:

Friends in Service Helping (F.I.S.H.) is asking the public for donations to help those affected by the apartment fire in the Gardnerville Ranchos area.

They are accepting food, toiletries, clothing, and monetary donations.

Used beds, bedding, large furniture, and used undergarments are not accepted at this location.

You can bring all donations to the FISH Thrift Store located at 1561 U.S. 395 North in Minden, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Anyone being impacted by the fire can go to the FISH store on December 20th until 3 p.m. to pick up clothing and supplies for the weekend. FISH may ask for ID to ensure assistance is provided to those directly impacted.

You can also take donations to the Douglas County Community & Senior Center until FISH reopens on Monday. Gift cards can also be donated at the Douglas County Community Center to assist those impacted by the fire.

7 P.M. UPDATE:

Residents in the Pollen Court area who were forced to evacuate due to an apartment complex fire in the Gardnerville Ranchos area late Friday morning can now return to their homes.

People are advised to use caution as fire crews and equipment are still operating in the area, according to a post from Douglas County on Facebook.

Some homes in the area may remain without power for the time being.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

Multiple people in the Gardnerville Ranchos area are without a home after a fire spread through an apartment complex due to the heavy winds.

It broke out along Pit Road near Tillman Lane around 11:30 a.m.

Pollen Court and Pit Road are closed. Kimmerling Road is closed at Bing Road. Tillman Lane closed at Kimmerling Loop South and Wheeler Way.

The East Fork Fire chief tells 2 News Nevada that about 10 units are damaged, and that people in 15-20 units are displaced due to smoke.

The Red Cross has set up a temporary evacuation center set up at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center (1329 Waterloo Lane in Gardnerville). Volunteers will initially provide snacks and blankets to evacuees while additional needs are assessed. Residents can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS for assistance.

Please do not bring evacuated animals to the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Douglas County Animal Services has established an animal evacuation trailer at the Douglas County Community & Senior Center for house pets.

Some community members who live nearby, saw the flames up close.

"Collectively, we ran over to where the fire was starting and saw that it was there. There was a tree that was blazing, and we didn't know what it was, but we just started knocking on all the doors, making sure that everybody was out of those units," said Mike Jarrett, who lives in the complex next to where the fire was. "We went around and evacuated all our tenants and said, you know, we need to be safe. We need to get everybody out of here and everybody cooperated."