RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Law officers and fire officials are investigating nearly a dozen brush fires that appear to have been intentionally set the past two weeks around Carson City and the Washoe Valley.
Firefighters have snuffed out each of the small blazes with no injuries or significant property damage, but the trend poses a threat to residents and firefighters alike, authorities said Tuesday.
''We're concerned because we've had about 11 small fire starts since June 16,'' said Mark Struble, a spokesman for the Bureau of Land Management in Carson City and the Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center in Minden.
''They are calling them arson fires _ or at least human-caused,'' he said.
Four of the fires were set from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Struble said.
''Somebody is being very industrious out there, in a destructive way,'' he said.
The fires have been set mostly in the foothills around Carson City, ''rimming Eagle Valley, up the U.S. Highway 50 corridor and up in the Clear Creek area,'' Struble said.
The Carson City Sheriff's Office said in a statement Tuesday that the fires are under investigation by a multi-agency effort, the Sierra Front Arson Task Force.
''Residents and visitors on public lands in the area are asked to be vigilant and report any suspicious behavior,'' the sheriff's office said.
A $2,000 reward has been posted for any information leading to arrests.
The BLM, state fire marshal, Nevada Division of Forestry, Carson City Fire Department, East Fork Protection District, Douglas County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Forest Service are assisting in the probe. They are investigating leads regarding suspects and vehicles, interviewing witnesses and comparing evidence for similarities, authorities said.
Arson fires of this type are a Class D felony, each punishable by one to six years in prison, deputies said.
