Out-of-control Hawk Fire in Reno keeping tens of thousands evacuated
CBS News · LC · trust 59/100
Updated on: August 24, 2026 / 12:41 PM EDT / CBS/AP
An out-of-control wildfire that jumped over fire trucks and made it difficult for crews to reach hot spots destroyed homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. Shifting winds challenged firefighters trying to bring it under control, and authorities urged some 90,000 people to evacuate.
At least six people — three first responders and three civilians — were injured. Officials said the fire was "human-caused" but didn't provide details on how they reached that conclusion, or whether it was intentionally set or accidental.
Schools were closed because of the evacuations and to keep roads clear for emergency crews. There were also concerns that shifting winds could push the flames into newly developed and densely packed neighborhoods on the edge of Reno, Nevada's second-largest city.
The Hawk Fire began Saturday and grew to more than 23 square miles as it spread Sunday across the Peavine Peak area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, where rugged foothills are ringed by homes and businesses near the California state line. There was zero containment.
Authorities said late Sunday that the fire had stayed in its footprint and firefighters were extinguishing hotspots while working to keep the fire from jumping a main highway and reaching areas filled with homes and businesses.
Some 42,000 residents have been ordered evacuated as the "GO NOW" zone expanded, reaching the edge of the University of Nevada. An additional 45,000 people were in the adjacent evacuation warning zone. Authorities urged people to be prepared to stay away for several days, because shifting and strengthening winds were expected to make the fire even more unpredictable.
"Please get out if you can right now," Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.
Videos posted on social media showed the smoldering ruins of homes and cars, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.
A Sunday evening update said crews observed "extreme fire behavior" as gusts pushed flames through dry brush.
"Over the next 12 hours, the fire is expected to continue to make moderate to high intensity runs in pockets of dense fuels," the statement said.
Many residents had little time to evacuate after the fire exploded in size.
"Honestly, I thought it was like in a movie," said Ruby Delatorre, who got back from a concert only to find her home in the evacuation zone. She said she returned Sunday to walk to her home and get a few more possessions.
"I literally want to cry and go back for all my stuff," Delatorre said. "I just got what I thought I needed."
The Hawk Fire is the third large wildfire in the rugged terrain north of Reno in the past two weeks — all caused by human activity, according to fire officials. It is among the rash of wildfires sparked this summer across the American West, as the region experiences extremely dry conditions.
It wasn't known how many homes were destroyed in the Hawk Fire. Cari Kieffer said a video on social media showed her house entirely burned down, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.
"I woke up this morning and just started crying — all my kids, they lost everything," Kieffer said Sunday. "We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone."
Kieffer had been watching her son's football game Saturday when she learned that their home on the outskirts of Reno was in the evacuation zone. An app the family used to track the fire's progress had been lagging significantly behind its actual location, she said, so they thought firefighters had kept the blaze from their neighborhood.
Instead, Kieffer, her husband and their four children ages 3 to 16 raced to save their dogs and whatever possessions they could retrieve. Ash rained down, and the wind blew like an oven blast from a wall of flames advancing down the hillside toward their neighborhood, she said.
"I kept looking outside and the flames just kept getting closer and closer every time I looked," Kieffer said. "I was like, we gotta go like now."
Eyes watering and throat burning, Kieffer grabbed a handful of clothes, a Bible, her wedding photos and her mother's ashes. In the frenzy, as firefighters yelled at her family to leave immediately, she said she forgot her family's birth certificates and was unable to salvage her childhood photos.
The family drove to a friend's home but had to evacuate again. They learned later Saturday evening that their own home was gone.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting with two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods. Also responding were 800 fire personnel.
Nearly 10,000 customers were without power in Washoe County on Sunday, down from 60,000 on Saturday. Portions of U.S. Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed due to the fire. Reno, with more than 280,000 residents, is the largest city in Nevada outside of metro Las Vegas.
Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said they couldn't bring their pets — small animals and large animals were to be left at two other locations. Casinos in Reno offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees.
The University of Nevada, where many of the 20,000 undergraduates moved into their housing this weekend, was just outside the evacuation zone Sunday.
Two hospitals evacuated patients and the sheriff said his office was keeping a close watch on whether to evacuate the county jail.
The Reno-Stead Airport was closed to commercial flights but remained open for firefighting and military aircraft, CBS Reno affiliate KTVN reported . Reno-Tahoe International was unaffected.
Officials said some structures were damaged or destroyed but didn't give any specific numbers, KTVN noted.
The fire moved exceptionally fast Saturday night, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult…
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