Bug Fire near California-Nevada border prompts school closures

Nine schools just across the California-Nevada border are closed Tuesday as the Bug Fire continues to bring evacuations and power outages to communities north of Reno.

The Washoe County School District said all classes and activities at Natchez Elementary School were canceled Tuesday. Eight other schools will also remain closed: Desert Heights, Silver Lake, Lemmon Valley, Alyce Taylor, Jesse Hall and Spanish Springs elementary schools, along with Shaw Middle School and Spanish Springs High School.

District officials said the decision was made based on current evacuation zones, power outages and updated information from public safety agencies. All other schools are scheduled to operate normally Tuesday.

School buses will also not operate in areas under evacuation orders or warnings, which the district identifies as red and yellow zones on the regional evacuation map.

District officials are working with public safety agencies to determine when the affected schools can safely reopen.

The closures come as the Bug Fire continues burning along the California-Nevada border. The wildfire started Saturday in Lassen County before spreading into Sierra County and Washoe County, prompting thousands of evacuations north of Reno.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency Monday for parts of Washoe County and the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony impacted by the Bug and Fred Mountain fires. More than 6,000 people had been evacuated as of Monday night, with thousands more under evacuation warnings.