Quick reaction saves home in Mottsville fire

A garage owned by longtime Carson Valley car collector Dick Clark was destroyed in Tuesday’s fire near the base of Kingsbury Grade, but firefighters were able to save the house.

Clark previously lost a home and garage south of Gardnerville to a wildfire in 2016.

The garage was the most serious damage in Carson Valley from Tuesday’s 88-mph windstorm that prompted 42 calls for service during the day.

The cause of the fire at the Clark home is still under investigation.

“The garage was a total loss but firefighters were able to hold the fire from consuming the adjacent house,” East Fork Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Troy Valenzuela said. “The fire quickly spread to nearby fields and threatened other homes in the area. Firefighters worked for several hours in the driving winds to keep the fire under 5 acres in total size with no loss of homes.”

Valenzuela said Tahoe-Douglas and CalFire personnel provided aid to East Fork in containing the blaze.

High winds caused downed power lines, overturned a trailer on Highway 88 and several falling trees.

The district also sent two engines, two water tenders and a battalion chief to the Mountain View Fire in Walker.

“These type of days are very difficult to truly prepare for and often come with potentially tragic outcomes,” Valenzueula said. “There were no firefighter or civilian injuries to report.”