Firefighters in Reno, Nevada, reached 27% containment on the 23-square-mile Hawk Fire, which has destroyed at least 32 homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The fast-moving blaze, fueled by hot temperatures, low humidity, and dry brush, is the third large human-caused wildfire in the rugged foothills north of the city in two weeks.
Emergency crews have carved out containment lines around portions of a destructive wildfire burning in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Reno, Nevada, according to authorities managing the Hawk Fire.
While containment reached 27% by Monday afternoon and there was no new growth of the Hawk Fire, which has held steady since it burned out of control on Sunday, officials emphasized that the danger has not passed. U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Matt Zumstein told reporters at an afternoon news briefing, We are making progress,
though hot temperatures and low humidity continue to challenge firefighting operations.
Evacuations Ease as Washoe County Schools Close
The rapid spread of the fire prompted sweeping evacuation orders over the weekend that initially affected more than 90,000 residents northwest of downtown Reno when the blaze mushroomed. By Monday, authorities reduced the number of residents under evacuation orders and warnings to about 63,000 as wind conditions began to moderate, though officials noted that gusts could still push flames through dry brush into newly developed neighborhoods.
Wildfire near Reno, Nevada, destroys more than 30 homes
Nevada’s governor declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the National Guard to assist with aerial firefighting and protecting evacuated neighborhoods. Public schools across Washoe County remained closed Monday because of the evacuations and to keep roads clear for emergency crews.
At security checkpoints, frustration boiled over among residents eager to return to their neighborhoods. At one roadblock, a driver yelled, There’s no fire here! Why are the National Guard here?
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam acknowledged the tension, explaining that reopening roads too soon remains a hazard. It just takes that little breeze and one ember,
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said, stressing that active hot spots still threaten structures.
Assessing Property Damage and Human Toll
At least 32 homes have been burned and six are damaged in the foothills, numbers that assessment teams are sure to rise as they begin to survey the charred areas. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve described the intensity of the weekend blaze, noting that the rapid advance left residents with little time to react.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve
Schieve added that the spectacle lit up these areas like nothing I’ve seen before,
stating that It took your breath away, in the worst way.
At least seven people—three first responders and four civilians—have sustained injuries since the fire began.
Firefighters make progress against a Nevada wildfire that's destroyed
For some residents, the disaster carries a devastating sense of repetition. Crystal Hallock, 53, lost her home to fire for a second time in less than a decade. After an electrical fire burned it down in 2018, she moved into the rebuilt house in 2019. On Saturday, she fled with her children, grandchildren, and pets as a giant plume of smoke and flames became visible on the nearby mountaintop. Her ex-husband tried to save the property and her vintage Cadillac with a garden hose as flames melted children’s toys and burned bushes, telling her over the phone that he couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see in the dark before the line went dead. He was saying he can’t breathe, it’s so dark I can’t see, and I’m screaming at him, ‘Leave the car, just leave it,’
she said Monday. Thirty minutes later, he called to say he had gotten out with the car, and she later noted from a niece’s apartment in Reno, I’m truly blessed because I have a place to stay with my animals and my grandkids. We were all able to get out safely.
Human Activity and Burning Man Intersections
Fire officials confirmed that this is the third large wildfire in the rugged terrain north of Reno in the past two weeks—all caused by human activity. Investigators haven’t said whether the Hawk Fire was intentionally set or accidental.
The emergency coincides with travel preparations for the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, which begins next Sunday. Because Reno, home to about 280,000 people, serves as a regular stop and gateway for many who travel to Burning Man, organizers on Monday asked attendees to not take hotel rooms and other resources away from fire evacuees. A Burning Man statement asked visitors to be mindful of closures and urged, Treat our neighbors, first responders, hospitality workers and everyone affected by this emergency with patience and care.
Burning Man
With wind gusts continuing to threaten dry brush near newly developed neighborhoods, fire crews remain deployed across the foothill zones to reinforce containment lines alongside hot temperatures and low humidity.