Wildfire in Nevada forces thousands of evacuations
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A fast-growing wildfire destroying homes in northwest Reno, Nevada, on Sunday was human-caused and uncontained, authorities said, as they encouraged some 90,000 people to evacuate. At least six people were injured.
The Hawk Fire began Saturday and quickly grew to 20 square miles as it spread 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.
The fire moved exceptionally fast Saturday night, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult for responders to get to hotspots while residents were trying to get out, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.
“It was extremely confusing,” the sheriff said, describing how changing winds sent the flames in different directions.
Several structures were destroyed and the injured included three civilians and three first responders, officials said. They did not provide additional details on how the fire was started, saying it was under investigation.
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 implored all of them to leave and 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,” the sheriff said.
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.
Cari Kieffer said a video posted 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 application 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.