Photo By Capt. Emerson Marcus | This screen grab from a video captures a water drop over the Bug Fire north of Reno on...... read more read more
The Nevada National Guard’s response to a series of conflagrations north of Reno last week produced similar alarm to the Davis Fire of 2024.
For both Reno-area fires, state emergencies were declared and a federal incident command team reported to the region. Also, for both, the federal, state, and local management process successfully corralled fire predictions — saving lives and property.
More than 13,000 residents were evacuated and tens of thousands more were set to evacuate the valleys just north of Reno during last week’s Bug, Stallion and Fred Mountain fires. Eleven structures were lost, but fire predictions forecast far worse outcomes immediately following its ignition Aug. 9.
“There’s no doubt this fire would have been much worse had it not been for the quick and rapid response from first responders around the region,” said Col. Kyle Cerfoglio, Nevada Joint Staff Director whose house was in Washoe County’s “get ready to evacuate” area. “This fire came dangerously close to many homes.”
Even with the Bug Fire sitting at 94% containment on Wednesday, 93,733 acres burned, along with the Stallion Fire (40,691 acres, 95% contained), fires and threat of fires continue across the country.
On Wednesday, one Nevada Air National Guard C-130 aircraft and supporting Airmen deployed to the Klamath Falls Airtanker Base in Oregon, where they will integrate with personnel from the 302nd Airlift Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserves, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, using the U.S. Forest Service’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS).
“The Nevada Air National Guard still has a contingent of aircrews deployed to U.S. Central Command and at various locations around the world but remains ready and willing for the call with able aircrew at a moment notice here in defense of the nation,” Cerfoglio said. “This is just another example of how the fires near Reno may have subsided, but they continue to pose threats around the western United States.”
INITIAL CALL IN EASTERN NEVADA
Nevada Army National Guard Aviation CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk aircrews were initially activated July 26 for the Secret Pass Fire east of Elko, but almost immediately diverted 150 miles south to Ely where the Ward Fire threatened the White Pine County capital seat near Great Basin National Park. For a week, two aircraft and crews dropped 174 Bambi buckets and 150,000 gallons of water on the Ward Fire.
“There were a lot of hot spots, and they had all helicopters up and running to put those out,” Chief Warrant Officer 4 Scott Taylor, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot said Aug. 4. “Helicopter crews made a massive impact on this fire.”
As containment grew to more than 30 percent for the Ward Fire, Army aviators returned home at the onset of a fire in their backyard. The Bug Fire burned desert terrain that was viewable from the Nevada Army Aviation Support Facility in Stead and threatened thousands of homes in the metropolitan area.
NORTH VALLEYS FIRES
On Aug. 10, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency, increasing assets on the fire, including a total of five Nevada Army Guard helicopters.
In total, Army Aviation dropped 277 water buckets for an estimated total of 328,591 gallons of water in about a week. Of course, Mother Nature also assisted firefighting efforts with afternoon rain on Aug. 12 that brought cooler temperatures.
“It is fairly dangerous flying,” Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott Hermansen, a Chinook pilot. “We have a pretty heavy bucket below us…it is flying the helicopter for us. And there is a lot of metal in the sky, lots of tankers lots of helicopters, so you always have to keep your head on a swivel.”
With the sheer number of evacuations, Nevada’s National Guard Response Force, or NGRF, was called to safeguard neighborhoods from looters. About 50 soldiers manned entrances to neighborhoods at seven different locations around the fires. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office also increased patrol to protect evacuated neighborhoods and keep looters out.
“We’ve received such an outpouring of support,” said Spc. Gavin Davidson, 137th Military Police Detachment, Nevada Army National Guard, who worked at the neighborhood checkpoint on Matterhorn Boulevard in Lemmon Valley. “People were dropping off food and drinks, even ice cream bars. By the time chow arrived, we weren’t even hungry.”
‘THE FLAMES WERE 50-FEET HIGH’
Mack McKinley and Robyn Roth who own the animal rescue Sugarland Ranch were among those recently found thanking Davidson and the troops. On Aug. 9, sagebrush and other vegetation burned his 52-acre ranch with about 30 Neapolitan Mastiffs, a specific breed they rescue for the ranch.
“The flames were 50-feet high,” McKinley said. “Thank goodness we got all the dogs out.”
McKinley said he was able to move the dogs to a handful of different volunteer options in Reno and Sparks. The flames did not reach his home, but much of his property was burned in the fire.
“We’re just thankful of how skilled everyone working these fires has been,” McKinley said. “I can’t thank these Soldiers enough for keeping our property protected.”
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.20.2026 16:20 |
| Story ID: | 572869 |
| Location: | NEVADA, US |
| Web Views: | 24 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Nevada Army Guard wraps rapid fire response, Air Guard enters fight, by Capt. Emerson Marcus, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
