Officials believe semi truck is responsible for 18,000 acre fire in Nevada

Officials in Nevada are searching for a semi truck they believe may have sparked an 18,340 acre fire in Nevada last week.

According to a press release from the East Fork Fire Protection District in Minden, Nevada, authorities believe a truck’s “faulty exhaust” may have sparked the blaze.

The fire began on Monday, July 6, 2020 at approximately 6:50 pm near the Pine View Estates area, south of Gardnerville, NV. The press release states, “during the investigation, several fires were located along Highway 395.

Fire investigators with the East Fork Fire Protection District, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Land Management, and the USDA Forest Service worked together to investigate the cause of the fire.

They said that the physical evidence they gathered at the scene, “indicates a semi-tractor trailer truck, while operating southbound on Highway 395, most likely experienced a failure in its exhaust system.  This possible failure allowed hot particles to be discharged along the highway right-of-way, igniting dry grass and brush.”

The fire, while still burning, is now 98% contained.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about a truck that was traveling south on Highway 395 on July 6, 2020, at approximately 6:45 pm to email the tip to e-mail address 2020firetips@gmail.com.