Reno wildfire forces tens of thousands to flee as Hawk Fire scorches 15,000 acres
A fast-moving wildfire near Reno, Nev., has scorched more than 15,000 acres, destroyed multiple homes and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee as crews worked Monday to keep flames from pushing deeper into suburban neighborhoods.
The Hawk Fire broke out Saturday and spread quickly through rough, wind-swept terrain on the edges of Reno and Washoe County. By Sunday evening, officials said it was 0% contained. The Associated Press reported that six people have been injured — three firefighters and three civilians — as flames raced through brush and hillsides.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo issued a state of emergency Saturday, calling on residents to "remain vigilant and follow the direction of local officials." The order came as evacuation warnings expanded to nearly 100,000 people, touching neighborhoods on both ends of the fire's perimeter. Nearly all schools in Washoe County were closed Monday, and the sheriff's department shut down dozens of roads, including a stretch of a major highway north of Reno.
Authorities have said the fire was human-caused but have not released details about how it started or whether it may have been intentional. Investigators were still working to determine the origin.
More than 700 personnel were assigned to the fire Monday, according to county officials, including 14 fire crews, 95 engines and 10 helicopters. Firefighters reported some progress in keeping flames away from homes despite "extreme fire behavior" fueled by strong winds, high temperatures and extremely dry brush. Officials warned that the next 48 hours would bring more critical fire weather, with possible spread to the northeast and northwest toward neighborhoods north of Highway 395.
Officials did not say how many homes or structures have been destroyed. But video and photos shared from neighborhoods showed residences in flames, and county leaders acknowledged the fire had already taken an emotional and financial toll.
The evacuation crisis places Reno at the center of a destructive Western wildfire season that has already strained resources. Earlier this month, a series of fires burning near Spokane, Wash., forced about 60,000 people to evacuate, destroyed more than 800 homes and caused more than $1 billion in damage. In Nevada and across the West, drought-weary vegetation and record heat have left forests and rangelands primed to burn.
Nationally, the numbers are sobering. The National Interagency Fire Center reports more than 50,000 wildfires have burned over 7.8 million acres so far this year — significantly above the 10-year average, with more than four months left in 2026.
For many residents, the loss was deeply personal. Cari Kieffer, a Reno woman who posted video of her family's home burning, told the AP she and her husband grabbed what they could before the flames consumed their house.
"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."
By the time the fire swept through, she said, only a charred basketball hoop remained where the house once stood. "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."