A fast-moving wildfire pushed by strong winds is closing in on Reno, prompting Nevada authorities to order widespread evacuations and shut most schools in the county as firefighters race to protect homes.
About 42,000 people have been forced to leave their homes and another 45,000 have been told to prepare to evacuate, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve told CNN.
Officials said all but one school in Washoe County, where Reno is located, will remain closed.
The blaze, known as the Hawk Fire, started on Saturday and had expanded to 6,091 hectares by yesterday evening, exhibiting “extreme fire behavior,” according to InciWeb, the US government website that monitors wildfire activity.
InciWeb reported the fire was burning about 8km northwest of Reno, a metropolitan area with more than 280,000 residents, based on 2025 census data.
No deaths have been reported. However, local media said at least six people have been injured, including three first responders, and several houses on mountaintops have been destroyed.
Authorities described the fire as “human-caused” but have not disclosed what sparked it.
A local fire rescue service said roughly 800 people were involved in the response, including firefighting crews from Australia and New Zealand.
Images shared on X by the service showed flames and thick, towering columns of smoke rising over the mountains above the city.
Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County.
His order warned that the Hawk Fire “is spreading quickly and threatening homes and structures.”
Local fire chief Richard Edwards urged residents to be ready to move the moment an evacuation order arrives.
“The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us as it’s being driven by the winds,” he said.
“The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas,” he added.
“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Ms Schieve said in a statement on social media.
Reno sits in northwestern Nevada near the California border and the Lake Tahoe турист area in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
