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‘Human-caused’, wind-driven fire in Reno leaves thousands of homes and businesses without power, officials say
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US news — Edward Helmore, Dani Anguiano and agencies
Authorities have ordered the evacuation of about 90,000 residents of Reno, Nevada, and the adjacent North Valley as a fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire bears down on the city.
The Hawk fire began on Saturday to the north-west of the city, and quickly grew, showing “extreme fire behavior” as it threatened foothill neighborhoods in Nevada’s second-largest city. It stood at a little more than 15,000 acres burned on Monday morning, and was 0% contained.
Authorities said late Sunday that the fire remained in its footprint as crews fought to keep the fire from jumping over a highway and reaching areas packed with homes and businesses.
No deaths have been reported, but at least six people have been injured – including three first responders – with several mountaintop houses destroyed, according to local media.
“We can confirm that the fire was human-caused,” said Shane Akerson, a battalion chief with the Truckee Meadows fire protection district, according to the Reno Gazette Journal . “However, that is still undergoing active investigation and we don’t have further details provided at this time.”
The Reno area has seen three large wildfires in the past two weeks, all of which, fire officials say, were caused by human activity.
Evacuee Teresa Lenshyn said being forced to leave was chaotic and stressful: “You don’t know if the winds are going to shift and it’s going to get worse.”
All but one school in Washoe county, where Reno is located, will remain closed on Monday, authorities said, to leave roads clear for first responders. The University of Nevada, Reno, where the fall semester began on Monday, announced that the campus would continue to operate.
Nearly 10,000 homes and businesses in the county were without power. Portions of US Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed.
The rapidly expanding fire was surrounded by neighborhoods. Richard Edwards, the local fire chief, urged people to be ready to evacuate immediately when told to do so.
“The Hawk fire is a very dynamic incident for us as it’s being driven by the winds. The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas,” he said.
“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Hillary Schieve, Reno’s mayor, said in a statement on social media.
The fire had already proved to be a challenge on Saturday night, moving exceptionally fast, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult for responders to get to hotspots while residents were trying to get out, said Darin Balaam, the Washoe county sheriff.
“It was extremely confusing,” said Balaam, describing how changing winds sent the flames in different directions.
Firefighters were “working around the clock to protect lives, property, and communities”, authorities said.
Residents reported that they had little time to flee as the fire rapidly expanded.
“Honestly, I thought it was like in a movie,” said Ruby Delatorre, who discovered her home was in the evacuation zone as she returned from a concert. She went back on Sunday to retrieve a few more possessions.
“I literally want to cry and go back for all my stuff. I just got what I thought I needed,” Delatorre said.
Joe Lombardo, Nevada’s governor, has declared a state of emergency in Washoe county. He warned that the situation was “active and rapidly evolving” and urged residents to remain vigilant.
“Please heed all warnings from local officials, evacuate immediately if you are ordered to do so, and do not put yourself or first responders at risk,” Lombardo said in a statement.
A local fire rescue service said about 800 people were supporting firefighting efforts, including crews from Australia and New Zealand.
The National Weather Service predicts a chance of afternoon showers for the area, which could help firefighters. Highs in the area are expected between 89F and 94F, with light winds becoming south-west 10-15 mph winds in the afternoon.
The US West has endured a grueling fire season this summer amid extremely dry conditions. A fast-moving blaze north of Reno forced about 5,500 people to evacuate earlier this month.
One person died in California in a wildfire burning in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, a fire that officials believed was sparked by a man using a chainsaw. That blaze, the Gann fire, scorched more than 10,000 acres and destroyed nearly 50 buildings.
In the Pacific north-west, fires forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in and around Spokane, Washington, in early August. Three fires burned around the city – one that officials say was set by an alleged arsonist – and destroyed about 900 buildings.
Oregon has experienced its worst year on record for land burned by large wildfires, with more than 3,671 sq miles (9,508 sq km) scorched, said Jean Nelson-Dean, spokesperson for Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, earlier this month.
This year alone there have been more than 50,000 wildfires across the US – the most in the last decade over the same time period – which have burned more than 7.8m acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
The Hawk fire began on Saturday to the north-west of the city, and quickly grew, showing “extreme fire behavior” as it threatened foothill neighborhoods in Nevada’s second-largest city. It stood at a little more than 15,000 acres burned on Monday morning, and was 0% contained.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Edward Helmore, Dani Anguiano and agencies. Published 24 Aug 2026, 05:26 pm.
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The fire has burned around 10,500 acres and is completely uncontained, officials say.
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