A massive human-caused wildfire is barreling toward homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, forcing some 90,000 people to evacuate after at least six people were injured.
The Hawk Fire began Saturday and quickly grew to 20 square miles with no containment reported as it spread across the Peavine Peak area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, where rugged foothills are ringed by homes and businesses on the Nevada side of the California state line.
The fire moved exceptionally fast Saturday night, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult for responders to get to hotspots while residents were trying to get out, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.
‘It was extremely confusing,’ the sheriff said, describing how changing winds sent the flames in different directions.
Several structures have since been destroyed and six people, including three civilians and three first responders, were injured.
Some 42,000 residents have now been ordered to evacuate as the ‘GO NOW’ zone expanded, reaching the edge of the University of Nevada, where nearly 24,000 students were due to begin classes on Monday.
An additional 45,000 people are in the adjacent evacuation warning zone – but Balaam has urged even those residents to leave early if they can in an effort to avoid any potential traffic jams, as more than a dozen roadways remain closed.
‘Please get out if you can right now,’ the sheriff said on Sunday.
The Hawk Fire in Nevada is barreling toward the city of Reno
Some 42,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate, with 45,000 others in an evacuation warning zone
Northwest Specialty Hospital, located in the warning area, has heeded that call.
Staff members there have started evacuating patients, as hospital officials work with emergency responders to close the facility and notify families about the affected patients, Northwest said in a news release.
‘The safety and well-being of our rehabilitation and behavioral health patients and staff remain the highest priority and we are evacuating out of an abundance of caution.’
Meanwhile, officials at the University of Nevada said they are providing support and assistance to students affected by the wildfire.
They also noted that an evacuation plan is in place in case the conditions change.
But already on Sunday, nearly 10,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Washoe County – down from 60,000 during peak fire activity the day before.
Portions of US Route 395, a major north-south highway, were also closed due to the rapidly expanding fire as emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees. But they were not allowed to bring their pets to the convention center, who were to be left at two other locations.
Casinos in Reno also offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees.
Several structures have already been destroyed in the massive blaze
Cari Kieffer said her family has ‘lost everything’ in the fire after her house was burned down
But for Cari Kieffer, her family has already ‘lost everything’ after her house was entirely burned down with just a scorched basketball hoop still standing.
‘I woke up this morning and just started crying – all my kids, they lost everything,’ Kieffer said Sunday. ‘We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone.’
Kieffer had been watching her son’s football game Saturday when she learned that their home on the outskirts of Reno was in the evacuation zone. An application the family used to track the fire’s progress had been lagging significantly behind its actual location, she said, so they thought firefighters had kept the blaze from their neighborhood.
Instead, Kieffer, her husband and their four children ages three to 16 raced to save their dogs and whatever possessions they could retrieve. Ash rained down, and the wind blew like an oven blast from a wall of flames advancing down the hillside toward their neighborhood, she said.
‘I kept looking outside and the flames just kept getting closer and closer every time I looked,’ Kieffer said. ‘I was like, we gotta go like now.’
Some 800 firefighters are responding to the wildfire
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has declared a state of emergency in Washoe County
Officials are urging residents in the area to get out now
Eyes watering and throat burning, Kieffer grabbed a handful of clothes, a Bible, her wedding photos and her mother’s ashes. In the frenzy, as firefighters yelled at her family to leave immediately, she said she forgot her family´s birth certificates and was unable to salvage her childhood photos.
The family drove to a friend´s home but had to evacuate again. They learned later Saturday evening that their home was gone.
Jaida Hargrove’s grandfather, Rick Arrate, lived alone on Peavine Mountain, which overlooks Reno and Sparks. Firefighters used a bulldozer, cut down trees and applied fire retardant in their attempt to contain the flames, Hargrove said.
‘They all thought it would be OK,’ she said. ‘And then, in about 30 minutes, the winds just changed and it came way too fast.’
Arrate and the firefighters were quickly forced off the mountain. ‘All he was able to take with him was his two golden retrievers,’ Hargrove said.
Arrate spent Saturday night with Hargrove´s parents, his next steps unknown.
Separate GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns were set up to assist Arrate and the Kieffer family.
The fire had spread to 20 square miles with no containment reported by Sunday
Authorities first received reports of a fire off Hawk Meadow Trail at about 11.15am on Saturday
Authorities first received reports of a fire off Hawk Meadow Trail at about 11.15am on Saturday, said Richard Edwards, chief of Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
Officials have since categorized the fire as being ‘human-made,’ but it is unclear whether arson is suspected.
Firefighters have since had to work amid ‘extreme red flag conditions,’ including warm temperatures, very low humidity and strong winds that raise the risk of wildfires, Edwards said.
‘We expect those same strong conditions to come back this afternoon,’ he said on Sunday.
Wind gusts could also increase and become more frequent throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service.
As the blaze now continues, Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting, with two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops deployed to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods. Also responding were 800 fire personnel.
‘This is an active and rapidly evolving situation and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant,’ Lombardo wrote on X.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve also noted that ‘structures have already been burned in this fire, and your life is more important than a building.’
Northwest Specialty Hospital announced it was evacuating its patients
Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom said his team was keeping track of the situation near the Nevada-California border.
‘We’re closely monitoring the #HawkFire across the Tahoe region and Nevada, with state and local partners deployed and coordinating on the ground and in the air,’ he said on X.
‘Residents in impacted areas should continue following guidance from local emergency officials.’
