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Human-Caused Wildfire Explodes to 13,000 Acres Near Reno, Forces 90,000 to Flee

The out-of-control Hawk Fire tore through Peavine Peak overnight, injuring six people and prompting Nevada's governor to declare a state of emergency as thousands scrambled out of the flames' path.

OS

BY OBSERVER STAFF

The Weekly Observer

AUG 23, 2026 · 3 MIN READ
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Human-Caused Wildfire Explodes to 13,000 Acres Near Reno, Forces 90,000 to Flee
Satellite view of wildfire smoke drifting across the western U.S. — illustrative NOAA image, not the Hawk Fire itself. Credit: NOAA Satellites, public domain.

A fast-moving, human-caused wildfire tore across the ridges above Reno, Nevada, this weekend, growing to roughly 13,000 acres and forcing an estimated 90,000 people from their homes as firefighters battled wind-whipped flames with zero containment.

The blaze, dubbed the Hawk Fire, ignited Saturday on Peavine Peak, an 8,269-foot mountain just northwest of the city, and exploded overnight under a Red Flag Warning with winds gusting up to 40 mph and humidity as low as 18%. By Sunday afternoon it had charred more than 13,000 acres, according to ABC News, up from roughly 10,500 acres reported earlier in the day.

Tens of thousands ordered out

Washoe County officials placed 42,000 residents under mandatory "GO NOW" evacuation orders, with another 45,000 told to prepare to leave under "GET SET" warnings — a combined 90,000 people affected. The mandatory zone reportedly stretched to the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno campus. Six people, including three first responders, were injured; no deaths have been reported.

Investigators determined the fire was human-caused, though the precise ignition source remains under investigation, according to KOLO 8 News Now. Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County as roughly 1,000 firefighters and first responders converged on the fire, backed by 60 Nevada National Guard troops and two helicopter crews providing water-bucket drops.

"THE WIND-DRIVEN FIRES MOVE VERY RAPIDLY INTO OUR RESIDENTIAL AREAS." — RENO FIRE CHIEF RICHARD EDWARDS

Nearly 10,000 homes and businesses lost power, partly because NV Energy proactively cut lines in high-risk areas to prevent them from sparking new ignitions. A stretch of U.S. Highway 395 and the Reno-Stead Airport were both closed, and the Reno-Sparks Convention Center opened its doors as an evacuee shelter after a nearby hospital moved patients out as a precaution.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve urged residents not to hesitate. "If you have been told to evacuate, please don't wait! Your life is more important than a building," she said, according to CNN.

The fire remained 0% contained as of Sunday, with officials warning that damage assessments in some neighborhoods were still too dangerous to conduct. Investigators have not yet released a count of destroyed structures, and forecasters say elevated fire-weather risk is expected to shift toward the northern Rockies in the coming days.

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