Genoa fire out; burned 10-15 acres

A puff of smoke was all that could be seen of the Genoa fire on Tuesday after early morning temperatures brought the blaze to heel.

Genoans took to their porches Monday night to watch the fire burn like the cherry from a cigarette. An occasional tree would flare up, as the fire, surrounded by a ring of flashlights, slowly gave up.

A full air attack gave firefighters time to get a ring around the blaze as temperatures approached 100 degrees Monday. But the suspension of air operations and increased wind speeds of up to 20 mph combined to fan the flames, increasing the size of the fire to 10 to 15 acres.

Sierra Front Interagency dispatcher Ronna Hubbard reported that the two hand crews fighting the fire on the ground were facing steep hillsides littered with downed dead wood from a previous fire.

Hand crews worked through Tuesday to improve the line around the fire and mop up its interior, with the help of helicopters and fire tankers. As of 8 p.m., it was considered extinguished.

The fire was fought by the U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the East Fork Fire District.

The fire was started by a lighting strike during a storm that brought rain in some parts of Carson Valley.

Topaz Ranch Estates experienced minor flooding after a rainstorm struck at about 5 p.m. Monday evening. Rain fell in Gardnerville, but not much ended up on the west side of the Valley, where dry lightning struck.

Minden weather watcher Stan Kappler reported .08 inches of rain.

"It cooled down 22 degrees in 30 minutes," Kappler said of the storm, which decreased the temperature down from the 103-degree high on Monday.