A wind-driven wildfire that exploded across the hills northwest of Reno has destroyed 47 homes and one commercial building, injured seven people, and forced evacuation orders covering more than 90,000 residents at its peak, officials said. As of Tuesday evening, firefighters had pushed containment on the blaze — dubbed the Hawk Fire — to 85 percent.

The fire ignited Saturday, Aug. 22, in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest near Peavine Peak and "exploded in size" overnight into Sunday, according to the Associated Press. By the time crews gained the upper hand, the fire had burned roughly 15,067 acres — about 23 square miles — just outside Nevada's second-largest city.

Thousands Displaced, Slowly Returning

Evacuation orders that once covered more than 90,000 people have been scaled back as containment lines held. According to a KOLO 8 News Now update, roughly 9,300 residents on the fire's eastern flank have been cleared to go home, while about 5,000 remained under mandatory evacuation orders as of Tuesday. Eight additional homes were damaged but left standing. No deaths have been reported.

Investigators have confirmed the fire was human-caused, though they have not said whether it was accidental or intentional, noting it is the third major wildfire sparked by human activity in the Reno area in two weeks. Nearly 600 personnel, backed by aircraft, have been assigned to the fire, and thousands of homes lost power or gas service during the peak of the emergency.

Nevada's governor declared a state of emergency and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to assist with aerial firefighting and to protect evacuated neighborhoods from looting, a step confirmed by CNN's reporting from the fire zone.

"It lit up these areas like nothing I've seen before. It took your breath away, in the worst way."

That's how Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve described the fire's initial run through neighborhoods on the city's edge. Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam, whose office has fielded frustration from residents eager to return home, warned that the danger isn't fully over: "It just takes that little breeze and one ember."

Residents can track real-time evacuation zones, road closures and shelter information through the county's Emergency Washoe regional information center. Several roads remain closed near Red Rock Drive, Silver Lake Road and North Virginia Street as crews continue mop-up and utility crews restore power to roughly 4,500 affected electric customers.

With containment climbing and no new growth reported since the weekend, officials say the focus is shifting from firefighting to damage assessment and reopening the last evacuation zones — even as the criminal investigation into how the fire started continues.