Above: On Sept. 9, 2024, thick smoke from the Davis Fire in Washoe Valley, Nevada created a dramatic and condensed plume. They may be hard to see, but five aircraft carriers are circling the fire. Credit: Ali Dickson.
On a dry and windy Saturday in Washoe Valley, Nevada, the Davis Fire sparked to life. Beginning at Davis Creek Regional Park on September 7, 2024, the wildfire burned over 5,800 acres, damaged multiple structures and placed 14,000 people under evacuation notices. The Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, and Southwest Area Incident Management Team worked ceaselessly with crews to extinguish the flames. As of September 25, 2024, the fire is 100% contained and does not pose a threat to our community.
Wildfires have always been awesome and devastating events that happened to other towns but not mine, affecting other homes but not mine. Living in southern Washoe Valley, I uncovered with my own eyes the relentless and orderless rage a wildfire generates. More than that, though, I gained firsthand appreciation of the meticulous and calculative strategies that crews made on the ground, in the air, and everywhere in between. Wildfire professionals are more than just the exciting subjects of news stories we read in passing fascination each dry season – they are friends, neighbors, strangers, and heroes who put their lives on the line to protect the people and places we call home.
I am grateful that my house did not burn, and in the hindsight of safety and happily-ever-afters, I am grateful for the ability to have watched this event unfold.
Ali Dickson is a graduate student in the Media Innovation program at the Reynolds School of Journalism. She produced this photo essay for a multimedia storytelling class during fall 2024.
