Governor Joe Lombardo spent Thursday touring the command and support sites for the Bug and Stallion wildfires that have burned over 134,000 acres in Washoe County. The fires forced the evacuation of several thousand residents and destroyed ten homes and an accessory dwelling unit.
Incident Command Post and coordination
The first stop was the Incident Command Post, which began at the North Valleys Community Center before moving to Rancho San Rafael Park to accommodate the growing number of responders. Lombardo was briefed on the command structure, finance team and mapping operations that guide the deployment of hundreds of firefighters and police officers on the ground.
“There’s a lot of moving parts in something of this magnitude,” the governor said, adding his thanks to the first responders. “They kick butt out there for a long period of time.”
Regional Emergency Operations Center
Next, the governor visited the Regional Emergency Operations Center, the hub for daily press briefings and information sharing. Washoe County Emergency Management explained how lessons learned from the 2023 Davis Fire— which burned nearly 6,000 acres and prompted 14,000 evacuations— improved communication and deployment strategies for the current fires.
Lombardo noted that large incidents highlight the limits of local resources and stressed the need to leverage relationships with neighboring jurisdictions. He also reminded officials that a state of emergency declaration unlocks federal funding and post‑event reimbursement.
National Guard aviation support
The tour concluded at the Nevada National Guard aviation base. The governor spoke with Guard members about their air‑lift and ground support roles. Sheriff Darin Balaam of Washoe County praised the Guard for providing security and helping lock down neighborhoods during evacuations.
Aboard the county’s RAVEN helicopter, Lombardo, Sheriff Balaam, Nevada Office of Emergency Management chief Brett Compston and a 2 News Nevada reporter surveyed the burn scar from the air. The aerial view underscored the sheer size of the fire zone and the proximity of flames to residential areas.
“The magnitude— 134,000 acres— you can’t see it from the ground,” Lombardo said. He highlighted that many homes survived because owners had created defensible space around their properties, a fire‑prevention practice encouraged by the county.
Looking ahead
Governor Lombardo emphasized that continued cooperation among state, local and federal partners is essential to protect Nevada’s communities. He pledged to keep advocating for resources, to support the National Guard’s ongoing involvement, and to ensure that homeowners receive guidance on maintaining defensible space to reduce future risk.
Original reporting: 2news.com — read the source article.
