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Homeowner able to keep wildfire that threatened his home at bay

Nevada fire
Posted at 1:01 PM, Jun 21, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-21 13:01:16-04

With a wildfire inching closer to his Pleasant Valley, Nevada, home, Don Bowden took matters into his own hands.

On Wednesday, the Petrilla Fire spread towards neighborhoods dotting the hills between Reno and Carson City. With his property in danger, Bowden grabbed a hose and went to work.

"(I) hooked it into my water that I have and went back there and started spraying the whole area down," Bowden said. "I was just keeping it at bay at the moment until the fire department got there."

Bowden was able to keep a 100 square foot area of burning plant life away from his home while his wife called 911.

"I didn't feel scared at the time," Bowden said. "I think you get this adrenaline going."

He credits a fire water line that he had installed on his property with saving his home.

"I put it in probably about 20 some years ago. Never had to use it. One of the best things I've ever done because now it saved my property, I think," Bowden said.

No homes were damaged, and fire officials are still trying to determine how it started.