Fire forces evacuation of Coleville

High winds led to a flare-up of the Larson fire near Coleville about 10 a.m. Tuesday, spreading the flames over 600-700 acres and closing schools.

Evacuations were mandatory from Larson to Cunningham lanes where 250 structures are threatened, according to information from the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.

The fire was burning on both sides of Highway 395 and 40 mph winds forced the suspension of tanker flights over the fire.

The power was out in the Coleville/Walker area, which is about 40 miles south of Gardnerville.

A "type one" team comprised of experts from a number of agencies was called in to fight the fire, according to Nancy Upham, spokeswoman for the Inyo National Forest in Bishop, Calif.

"This is a national team with high-level experience that is sent anywhere in the nation," Upham said. "They're called in to handle more complex fires, or when large-scale evacuations are necessary."

Highway 395 was closed from Bridgeport to the Nevada state line due to the flames, according to the Mono County Sheriff's Department.

The fire flared first above Coleville High School, according to the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center.

Flames burned over a temporary firefighter camp, which included a refrigerated storage unit and several portable toilets.

Coleville students were evacuated to the Marine Base Housing Community Center.

The fire was first sparked Friday afternoon by lightning and quickly grew to 150 acres.

But within 24 hours of flaring up, the blaze was reduced to smoldering brush by Saturday afternoon. Firefighters had hoped to have a line completely around it by 6 p.m. Tuesday.