Nevada Wildfire 27% Contained, Thousands Still Under Evacuation Orders

U.S. fire officials said the wildfire that erupted over the weekend in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Reno, Nevada, is now 27% contained. The blaze has injured at least 7 people—including 3 firefighters and 4 civilians—and destroyed at least 32 homes, damaging 6 others.

Speaking at a press conference Monday afternoon local time, local officials said the damage toll is expected to rise as assessment teams begin surveying burned areas. The fire, dubbed the Hawk Fire because it started near Hawk Meadow Trail, has shown no signs of further spread, holding steady at roughly 60 square kilometers (23 square miles).

“We are making progress,” U.S. Forest Service ranger Matt Zumstein assured. However, social media videos showed smoldering ruins of homes and cars, with only a scorched basketball pole still standing.

By Monday, the number of residents under evacuation orders or warnings had dropped to about 63,000, down from more than 90,000 when the fire raged over the weekend. Though winds have eased, concerns remain that strong gusts could push flames through dry brush into newly built neighborhoods of Nevada’s largest city outside the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Reno has a population of about 280,000. Area schools were closed due to evacuations and to keep roads clear for emergency crews.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said the fire’s rapid spread at its peak made her fear the worst. “It lit up these areas like never before,” she said Monday, adding, “It takes your breath away, in the worst way.”

This is the third major wildfire in the rugged high desert north of Reno in just two weeks—all caused by human activity, according to fire officials. They have not disclosed whether the Hawk Fire, named for its origin near Hawk Meadow Trail, was intentional or accidental. Much of the burned area is sagebrush and grass.

Resident Crystal Hallock, 53, lost her home to fire twice in less than a decade. She moved into a rebuilt house in 2019, a year after an electrical fire destroyed it.

Nevada’s governor quickly declared a state of emergency in Washoe County over the weekend after deploying the National Guard to assist with aerial firefighting and protect evacuated neighborhoods northwest of downtown Reno. At one checkpoint, however, residents expressed frustration over being unable to return home, according to the Associated Press. “There’s no fire here! Why is the National Guard here?” a driver shouted.

Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said he understands some residents are upset they cannot go home, but the danger is not over. “All it takes is a gust of wind and an ember,” he said.

Reno lies southwest of the Black Rock Desert, home to the annual Burning Man festival, which began August 30. Many Burning Man attendees consider Reno a familiar stopover. Organizers on Monday asked attendees not to take hotel rooms and other resources away from evacuees, and noted closures.

“Please treat your neighbors, firefighters, hotel staff, and all those affected by this emergency with patience and care,” the Burning Man statement said.

Much of western Nevada faces an elevated wildfire risk this week due to strong winds and low relative humidity, the National Interagency Fire Center said. The National Weather Service forecast warm, dry, and windy conditions, with potentially dangerous fire weather in the latter half of the week. Reno sits at an elevation of 1,370 meters (4,500 feet).

Extreme dry conditions across the U.S. West have fueled a series of wildfires this summer. Fires in eastern Washington forced 60,000 people to evacuate in the Spokane area in early August. Nationwide, wildfires this year have exceeded 50,000 incidents, marking the highest count in 10 years for the same period, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.