What the district offers residents
- Fuels management
- The district's page lists a Fuels Management Officer at the Virginia City headquarters, alongside a fire chief and a fire marshal.
- Community programs
- The district's community programs list includes an ambulance subscription, burn permits and a "You Call, We Haul" program. The details of how that program works were not on the archived copy we read, so ask the district before you plan around it.
- Source note
- We read an archived 2025 copy of the district page on the county website, because the live program pages returned a page-not-found message on the day we checked. Confirm programs and contacts with the district.
Towns in this district
| Town | Wildfire risk to homes (US percentile) | Buildings directly exposed | Mapped fires within about 10 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia City | 99.4% | 25.0% | 19 |
Sources: USDA Forest Service, Wildfire Risk to Communities (April 2026); NIFC fire perimeters of 300+ acres since 1980, centers within about 10 miles of the town point.
Virginia City stands at about 6,200 feet, with some of the oldest housing in our service area. The live program pages were not available on the day we checked, so this page uses an archived copy of the district page and the public data.
What do the numbers say for Virginia City?
The USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities data rates Virginia City's risk to homes higher than 99.4 percent of US communities, with 25.0 percent of its 655 buildings in the direct-exposure zone. For Storey County as a whole, 56.2 percent of buildings are in the direct-exposure zone and the county's risk to homes is higher than 98.3 percent of US communities. Median year built in Virginia City is about 1956, and 76.2 percent of homes were built before 1980.
Mapped fires of 300 acres or more with centers within about 10 miles include Linehan (2006, 5,863 acres), Davis (2024, 5,824 acres) and Washoe Drive (2011, 3,178 acres). Those are mapped acres only.
How do trees and brush work in a historic town?
Older lots can mean mature trees close to older buildings and little room for a truck. Defensible space still follows the Living With Fire zones: an ember-resistant first 5 feet, a lean, clean and green zone out to about 30 feet and reduced fuel beyond. Historic district rules may affect exterior changes, so check with the county before altering a historic property.
Slope matters too. See removing trees on slopes without starting erosion and hazard trees after a wildfire.
What does Battle Born do in Virginia City?
We do defensible space and fire mitigation, trimming and limbing up, lot clearing, brush mowing and removal of dead and hazardous trees, with a certified arborist assessing each job. A crane or boom truck helps where a lot is tight. Virginia City is about 16 minutes from our Carson City yard without traffic. Call 775.232.8243 for a free estimate.
Sources
- Storey County: Fire Protection District (archived copy, 2025) (read October 17, 2026 (archived copy))
- University of Nevada, Reno Extension: Living With Fire Defensible Space Guide (SP-23-07) (read October 17, 2026)
- USDA Forest Service: Wildfire Risk to Communities (wildfirerisk.org), tabular download of April 15, 2026 (pulled October 1, 2026)
- National Interagency Fire Center: Interagency Fire Perimeter History and WFIGS Interagency Perimeters (fires of 300+ acres, 1980 to 2026) (pulled October 1, 2026)