BY TAMMY KRIKORIAN – Carson Times

Reno firefighters stopped a fire at a downtown condominium project Tuesday afternoon in less than an hour after it produced thick, heavy clouds of black smoke and forcing nearby evacuations.

The fire at The Belvedere, the former Sundowner Hotel Casino being developed into luxury condominiums, was reported just before 5 p.m. on a mid-level roof over the office and porte-cochere and crawled up the north wall of the south tower. The cause remained under investigation.

Reno fire spokesman Steve Frady said most of the damage was to the exterior of the south building. Fire-resistant construction helped prevent the fire from spreading to the interior, where there was some water and smoke damage. Some light smoke was reported in the north tower, but no fire.

Ten to 15 residents had moved into the north tower, said Anita Perez, Belvedere managing sales agent. She said the south tower is under construction, and crews had left by 3:30 p.m.

Perez was not at the building when the fire began but said the office staff was alerted by a pedestrian who saw the flames. Perez said residents and staff were evacuated within minutes and there was no damage to the north tower.

Battalion Chief Brent Swearingen said one sprinkler head activated in the south tower.

“All of the built-in fire protection systems did what they were supposed to do,” Swearingen said, “and the fire was kept to the exterior of the building.”

He said there was light smoke in the north tower but residents were allowed to return.

Several traffic lanes surrounding the structure at Fourth Street and Arlington Avenue were closed. Several pedestrians watched the fire, including Kathy Nichols who said she moved into the north tower about a month ago.

Nichols said she works near the University of Nevada, Reno and saw a “big, black cloud” of smoke as she headed home.

“By the time I got here, the smoke had pretty much died down,” she said, adding she hoped to be able to go home and take care of her cat.

“It looks better than it did,” Robert Pettigrew, 47, said about an hour after the blaze was reported.

Joy Klingenfuss, 23, of Reno, spotted smoke from West Street.

“I couldn’t even see the (Silver) Legacy,” she said. “(The fire) sounded like aluminum foil blowing across the ground.”

About 50 firefighters responded with three ladder trucks and eight fire engines. Police controlled traffic on West, Fourth and Fifth streets and Arlington Avenue. No injuries were reported.

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