Three wildfires burn north of Reno

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RENO, Nev. - Firefighters on Tuesday battled three separate wildland fires north of Reno.

The closest one to the Reno area was in the Red Rock area off U.S. 395.

That fire broke out around 3 p.m. and within two hours burned an estimated 400 acres. About 150 firefighters were at the scene.

The area is not heavily populated, though the fire was burning near Animal Ark, a sanctuary for exotic animals.

Fire officials said all the animals are caged and engines and water tenders were placed around the compound for protection.

The fire started about 30 feet off Red Rock Road near a parked van, KOLO-TV reported. Washoe County sheriff's deputies blocked off several roads in the rural area because of heavy smoke and fire truck traffic.

Another fire sparked by lightning two days ago continued to burn near Doyle, Calif.

That fire near the near the Nevada-California line has charred about 9,000 acres of brush. No structures were threatened.

Firefighters also were fighting a fire near Beckworth, Calif., just over the state line north of Reno in Sierra Valley.

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