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Hawk Fire near Reno
The human-caused Hawk Fire spread from the Sierra foothills toward the center of Reno and grew to more than 13,000 acres, with authorities saying it was zero percent contained as of Sunday afternoon.
“spurs 42,000 evacuations”
ABC News reported that the blaze spurred 42,000 evacuations and that about 90,000 people had been affected, while also saying at least six people were injured.
The fire was described as “a very dynamic incident for us as it's being driven by the winds,” with Truckee Meadows Fire Chief Richard Edwards saying in a video posted to social media that “The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas, creating a lot of challenges for our firefighters to save homes and protect lives.”
An AP dateline from Reno, Nevada, said the “GO NOW” zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus and that nearly 14,000 homes were ordered evacuated as the fire grew to more than 10,500 acres early Sunday.
Evacuations, injuries, and power
As the Hawk Fire approached Reno, Nevada, officials said the “GO NOW” zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus and that an additional 45,000 people were in an adjacent evacuation warning zone, while CBS News said the fire was moving in different directions as winds changed and was 0% contained as of Sunday morning.
CBS News reported that six people, including three responders, were injured, and it quoted Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo urging affected residents to remain vigilant while the state mobilized the Nevada National Guard with two helicopter crews and 60 troops.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve urged residents to evacuate, saying in a statement posted on social media late Saturday night, “If you have been told to evacuate, please don't wait!”
The AP account said Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees but said they couldn’t bring their pets, and it added that nearly 10,000 homes and businesses were without power in Washoe County on Sunday.
Response scale and next risks
Authorities said about 1,000 firefighters and other first responders were battling the Hawk Fire, and ABC News reported that approximately 1,000 homes were initially threatened while officials said unsafe conditions prevented a clear damage assessment.
“About 1,000 firefighters and other first responders are battling the fire”
The response included aerial firefighting support after Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County, and the AP said the governor mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting with two helicopter crews and 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods.
In a separate report, the Nevada National Guard said more than 13,000 residents evacuated communities north of Reno and that the response to the Bug, Stallion and Fred Mountain fires raised alarms similar to those during the Davis Fire of 2024, with state emergencies declared and a federal incident command team deployed.
The National Guard account also said “There’s no doubt this fire would have been much worse had it not been for the quick and rapid response from first responders around the region,” quoting Col. Kyle Cerfoglio, while noting that even with other Reno-area fires contained within projected boundaries, wildfires and threats continued across the western United States.