Wildfire destroys homes, burns near Nevada governor's mansion; five people injured

CARSON CITY, Nev. — An out-of-control wildfire burned at least six luxury homes to the ground and came within a half mile of the governor's mansion, officials said.

Four firefighters and a television reporter were injured as gusty winds pushed the fire to more than 2,000 acres and spread a plume of smoke over the state capital.

Ten other homes, businesses and outbuildings were also destroyed Wednesday, and about 550 more were threatened by the blaze, which stretched for about four miles along the city's western edge.

"It's not very far from us here," Gov. Kenny Guinn said. "The trees are just exploding."

Judy Staub, who lost her home of 22 years, called the destruction "just unreal."

"Everything was gone but an old antique wagon," she said.

"People say, 'Judy, you have your children and your husband and your dog,' and I say, 'I know that.' But so many memories are gone," she said. "I never dreamed I'd experience something like this."

Officials said the blaze was started by a person before dawn Wednesday near a waterfall on a creek popular with local youths, and authorities were looking for a particular 1978 Dodge truck.

"It's absolute devastation up there," Sheriff Ken Furlong said.

Furlong said he counted six houses "burned — and I mean burned down to their foundations" and another home that was damaged in the area. The homes had a combined value of millions of dollars.

U.S. 395, Carson's main street, was temporarily closed, and firefighters had to pull away from homes in some areas because of the intensity of the fire, which was fanned by gusts up to 30 mph, said Scott Huntley, spokesman for the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.

One firefighter broke a leg, another suffered back and neck injuries and two others suffered burns, said Christie Kalkowski, spokeswoman for the Sierra Front in Minden.

One of the burned firefighters was with a crew trapped briefly when the rapidly moving blaze leapfrogged their position and destroyed their fire engine.

Reporter John Tyson of KOLO-TV in Reno suffered minor burns on his hands and face. His vehicle was destroyed, along with an ambulance, as the fire spread in all directions through dry brush, grass and timber.

Other significant wildfires were burning in California and Alaska.