Hawk Fire: Thousands Evacuated in Nevada as Governor Issues State of Emergency

The rapidly growing Hawk Fire sparked nearly 14,000 evacuations in the Reno area on Aug. 23 as Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County.

“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 wrote in a statement late on Saturday night.

The blaze is burning on slopes of Peavine Mountain, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and has grown over 10,523 acres, as of 11:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.

“The state is fully engaged, and we are working alongside local authorities and first responders to deploy every available resource to protect lives, safeguard communities, and keep Nevadans out of harm’s way,” Lombardo added.

The Nevada National Guard was mobilized to support aerial firefighting and evacuate neighbors.

Evacuations have been ordered along the Nevada–California border, and emergency teams are urging people in the northwest Reno area along I-80 to prepare to evacuate at a moment’s notice.

People are not allowed to bring small pets to the evacuation center and were told to instead take them to Washoe County Regional Animal Services.

Casinos in the area are also offering evacuees discounted hotel rooms.

The University of Reno warned students and faculty on Sunday morning that they may face evacuations if the blaze changes direction.

“University leadership is actively monitoring the Hawk Fire and will continue to provide updates as needed,” the university wrote in a Facebook post. “Currently, the University campus is not within an evacuation zone or a ‘Get Ready’ (Yellow) evacuation zone.”

The school added that even though there is no evacuation order yet, the university has an emergency response and evacuation plan ready to go.

University officials said they’d help to find students temporary housing if they are in an evacuation zone.

Meanwhile, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is making plans to move inmates from a nearby detention center.

The fire started on Saturday and quickly spread due to strong, gusty winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation, according to a statement from Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue.

More than 9,600 homes and businesses lost power in Washoe County on Sunday, according to PowerOutage.com.

“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” said Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve in an Instagram statement on Aug. 22. “Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building. Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze.”

The fire is currently zero percent contained.

Officials have not revealed the cause of the fire.