A fast-moving wildfire known as the Hawk Fire has forced tens of thousands of people to leave their homes on the edge of Reno, Nevada. According to ABC News and CBC News, crews have only begun to contain the blaze, which broke out Saturday night in the densely populated Sierra foothills outside the city and quickly grew into one of the most destructive fires the region has faced in recent weeks.
The scale of the fire has been striking. It has burned more than 15,000 acres, roughly 23 square miles, an area CBC News described as the size of Manhattan, and it has kept spreading since Saturday with no signs of relief on the way. Officials said the fire exploded in bone-dry conditions with winds gusting at around 40 miles an hour, and fire officials warned that hot and windy weather would make the situation volatile for the next 48 hours.
The threat to the city has been enormous. More than 60,000 people were ordered to flee or be ready to leave at any moment, and officials went door to door across neighborhoods, even evacuating patients from two area hospitals, as they urged thousands of residents to get out of the area. Homes, businesses and vehicles were left scorched, and roadblocks remained in place around Reno under hot and very dry conditions.
Authorities also began to take stock of the destruction. According to ABC News, at least 40 structures have been damaged or destroyed, while CBC News reported that the fire had already destroyed dozens of homes. As of the latest update, the Hawk Fire was considered 27 percent contained, with the National Guard and hundreds of firefighters engaged in what ABC News described as an all-out battle against the raging flames.
Investigators believe the fire was started by people rather than nature. A fire official told CBC News that they know it was human-caused because there were no natural ignition sources present in the area, which sits in a more remote zone outside the city center, though investigators are still working to determine exactly how it began. Officials added that it remains unclear whether the fire was set accidentally or deliberately.
Residents described harrowing escapes as the flames closed in. Jason Davis shot video while cutting a fire line around his neighborhood with a bulldozer, saying the fire went quickly from about 100 yards out to sweeping over their heads. Jennifer Alvarado said she had to scramble when she got the call to evacuate, with her young daughter still in her cheerleader uniform, and while she praised the Red Cross for its help she added that everyone just wants to go home.
The response has drawn in resources from beyond the state. Federal money has been approved to help cover the firefighting costs, according to ABC News, as the National Guard and hundreds of firefighters continued to hold the line in the volatile conditions. CBC News noted that the Hawk Fire is only the latest in a rash of wildfires to hit Nevada in recent weeks, underscoring the pressure now falling on crews across the region.