Defensible space and fire mitigation in Topaz Ranch Estates, NV

Topaz Ranch Estates sits above Topaz Lake at the south end of Douglas County, at about 5,200 feet. Its wildfire risk to homes ranks higher than 98% of US communities and 80% of Nevada's, and 18 large fire perimeters are on record around it.

At a glance

• About 54% of buildings direct exposure, 46% indirect, none minimal
• About 60% of homes are manufactured homes
• About 26% of households heat mainly with wood, 54% with bottled gas
• TRE Fire (2012, 7,073 acres) centered about 3 miles away

What is different about a manufactured home?

About six in ten homes in Topaz Ranch Estates are manufactured homes (American Community Survey 2020 to 2024; about 1,600 residents, so approximate). The zones are the same as for any house, but the first 5 feet matter even more, because dry grass, weeds and blown-in debris collect against the skirting and under steps and decks.

We cut and remove the vegetation at the base of the home and under and around attached decks, take out shrubs growing against the walls, and prune any tree limbs that hang over the roof. The skirting, vents and decking themselves are the owner's to maintain. We handle what grows.

Woodpiles, propane and outbuildings

About 26% of households here heat mainly with wood and about 54% with bottled gas, among the highest shares in our service area. That puts a wood stack or a tank on many lots. The Living With Fire guide lists woodpiles among the things that should not be within 5 feet of the house.

Moving the stack is up to you. Once you have picked a spot, we can clear a ring of brush and grass around it, around the propane tank and around sheds and carports. Ask your propane supplier or fire agency about the clearance a tank needs.

The driest gauge we cite

The Topaz Lake weather station, half a mile from the center of the community, averages 5.92 inches of precipitation a year (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals). Carson City's station averages 9.34. Native brush on that little water is sparse and slow, but it is dry for most of the year, and a wet spring brings a flush of grass that cures by early summer.

The practical upshot: brush mowed or thinned here stays down for years. The close-in grass and weeds need cutting every season.

Fires on record near Topaz Ranch Estates

The National Interagency Fire Center has 18 perimeter records of 300 acres or more since 1980 with centers within about 10 miles. The two closest are centered about 3 miles away: the TRE Fire of 2012, mapped at 7,073 acres, and the Holbrook Fire of 1994 at 7,444 acres. Others include the Slinkard fires of 2002 (8,284 acres) and 2017 (9,096 acres), the Gates Complex of 2004 (8,905 acres) and the Numbers Fire of 2020 (18,380 acres).

See the full list on our large wildfires since 1980 page.

A scheduled trip, done in one go

Topaz Ranch Estates is about 43 miles and about 63 minutes from our yard without traffic, down US 395. At that distance we make no arrival promises. Defensible space is planned work, so the distance is less of a problem: the arborist looks at the lot, you get a free estimate, and the crew does the whole list in one visit.

For acreage beyond the 100-foot zone, see lot clearing and brush mowing in Topaz Ranch Estates.