STATE OFFICE: Holloway Fire Forces Evacuations in Kings River Valley (08-13-12)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASE
Nevada State Office

Release Date: 08/13/12

Contacts:		Marian Inney	, 775-941-0065	, hollowayfire@gmail.com
		Chris Rose	, 775-623-1541	, crose@blm.gov

News Release No. 2012-37

Holloway Fire Forces Evacuations in Kings River Valley

Denio, Nev.--In the Kings River Valley, 20 miles southeast of Denio, the Holloway Fire burned overnight as actively as it has during recent hot days. The fire entered the valley when 25-mile-per-hour winds generated a “dust devil” that carried embers across the fireline. Five residences were evacuated as the fire burned south to the Nine Mile Road and firefighters worked all night to protect structures.

“We saw huge fire whorls all night,” said Fred Kaninski, fire behavior analyst for the Holloway Fire. “It was burning like daytime.”

The Holloway Fire in northern Nevada and southern Oregon has burned more than 336,000 acres and is estimated to be 48 percent contained. The fire was started by a lightning strike on August 5. The fire is located in Humboldt County, Nev., between McDermitt and Denio and in Harney and Malheur counties in Ore., between Cottonwood Ranch Road and Trout Creek Road and below Whitehorse Ranch Road.

With north winds forecast for today, firefighters are bracing for the fire to move south in both Oregon and Nevada. Afternoon thunderstorms, while not forecast to bring much lightning, may very likely bring strong erratic winds, causing intense burning.

Across the state line in Oregon, the northeast flank of the fire reached Antelope Creek and the Fifteen Mile Road, and burned into Oregon Canyon, where a firefighter received minor burns to their leg and forearm and suffered minor smoke inhalation during a deployment of an emergency fire shelter.

The injured firefighter was taken by helicopter to the hospital in Winnemucca and was treated and released Sunday night but is being sent to a burn center in Salt Lake City for further evaluation. This is precautionary and was based on the guidelines outlined in the Interagency Standards for Fire and Fire Aviation Operations and recommendations from the Winnemucca District Manager/ Agency Administrator and the agency of the firefighter.

The crew the injured firefighter was assigned to has been taken off the fire and a critical incident stress management team is being brought to Winnemucca to provide counseling for the crew as well as others who may have witnessed or been impacted by the events surrounding the injury.

Current information on the Holloway Fire is updated and posted at: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3113/

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.

--BLM--

Last updated: 08-13-2012