Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Wednesday toured the site of the 2020 Pinehaven Fire in west Reno and met with elementary school students who were affected by the fire. The tour was part of the launch of the Nevada Climate Series, an effort by the state’s Climate Initiative and the governor to draw attention to the impacts of climate change.
The Pinehaven Fire in November 2020 started on a dry sagebrush slope as the result of high winds and a high voltage arc flash on nearby power lines. The fire burned more than 1,200 acres, destroyed five homes and damaged at least 15 other structures. More than 1,300 homes were evacuated along with students at Caughlin Ranch Elementary School.
Those students, following the fire and led by student activist Tilli Allen, formed the Caughlin Range Climate Action Collective to take action against climate change.
Allen led the governor on a tour of the burn area and she and other students in the club met with the governor, Kacey KC from the Nevada Division of Forestry and others to discuss the fire’s impact on their lives and their goals to help protect the state’s residents from wildfires and the impacts of climate change.
As part of the series, the Nevada Climate Initiative also released a wildfire preparation guide for Nevadans outlining five things they can do to prepare for wildfire. The guide includes specific preparation tasks along with links to other resources for residents. The guide is online at https://climateaction.nv.gov/news/prepare-for-wildfire/.
Source: Nevada Governor’s Office
