Hawk Fire destroys homes in northwest Reno as evacuations expand

Wind-driven blaze forces tens of thousands from Reno-area neighborhoods

RENO, Nevada — The fast-moving Hawk Fire destroyed homes in northwest Reno on Sunday as shifting winds pushed flames through the Peavine Peak area and forced evacuation orders affecting roughly 42,000 residents, authorities said. Another 45,000 people were under evacuation warnings as firefighters faced zero containment on the blaze, which began Saturday.

The wildfire had grown to more than 23 square miles, or about 60 square kilometers, by Sunday while burning across rugged foothills in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near the California line. Homes and businesses sit along much of the fire-prone terrain west and north of Reno, where dry brush and strong winds created dangerous conditions for crews and residents attempting to leave.

Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam urged people in evacuation areas not to wait. “Please get out if you can right now,” Balaam said. He described a confusing and rapidly changing emergency Saturday night, when flames jumped over fire trucks and shifting winds repeatedly altered the fire's direction, making it difficult for responders to reach hot spots.

Officials said six people were injured, including three first responders and three civilians. Authorities have characterized the fire as human-caused, although they have not disclosed what led them to that determination or whether the ignition was accidental or intentional.

Extreme fire behavior reported near University of Nevada

In a Sunday evening update, emergency officials said crews had observed “extreme fire behavior” as gusts drove flames through dry fuels. The fire was expected to continue making moderate- to high-intensity runs through pockets of dense vegetation over the following 12 hours.

The expanding “GO NOW” evacuation area reached the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno, where many of the school's approximately 20,000 undergraduate students had been moving into campus housing over the weekend. The university remained just outside the evacuation zone Sunday. Two hospitals evacuated patients, while the sheriff's office monitored whether the county jail might also need to be cleared.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared an emergency in Washoe County and activated the Nevada National Guard. The state deployed two helicopter crews for aerial firefighting support and 60 Guard members to assist law enforcement in evacuated neighborhoods. About 800 fire personnel were assigned to the incident.

Nearly 10,000 Washoe County customers remained without electricity Sunday, an improvement from about 60,000 outages reported Saturday. Portions of U.S. Route 395, a key north-south corridor through the region, were also closed because of the fire.

Residents describe rushed escapes and devastating losses

Officials had not released a confirmed count of destroyed homes by Sunday evening, but evacuees described returning to devastating news. Cari Kieffer said video posted online showed her family's home burned to the ground, leaving only a scorched basketball hoop standing.

Kieffer said her family was watching her son's football game Saturday when they learned their home on the outskirts of Reno was in an evacuation area. Believing firefighters had stopped the blaze, they returned home, only to find flames moving rapidly down the hillside. Kieffer, her husband and their four children fled after grabbing their dogs, clothes, a Bible, wedding photographs and her mother's ashes.

“We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone,” Kieffer said. Her family later had to evacuate from a friend's home as the fire continued spreading.

David Barb said the blaze leveled his taxidermy business, though his nearby house appeared to have survived after landscaping workers cut a firebreak. Other residents, including those on Peavine Mountain, escaped with little more than their pets as the winds changed abruptly.

The Hawk Fire is unfolding after months of dry weather and a record lack of snow across parts of the American West, conditions that have heightened wildfire danger. Residents can follow evacuation information through Washoe County emergency officials. As of Sunday night, the fire remained uncontained, evacuation orders were still in effect, and investigators had not released additional details about its cause.