RENO, Nevada -- Crews have started to contain a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Reno, Nevada, that destroyed more than 30 homes as it spread perilously close to dense neighborhoods, officials said Monday.
Containment reached 27% and there was no new growth of the Hawk Fire, which has held steady at about 23 square miles (60 square kilometers) since it burned out of control on Sunday, authorities said at an afternoon news briefing.
“We are making progress,” said U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Matt Zumstein.
The number of residents under evacuation orders and warnings was reduced to about 63,000, down from more than 90,000 people when the blaze mushroomed over the weekend. While winds have eased, there's still concern that gusts could push the flames through dry brush into newly developed neighborhoods in Nevada's largest city outside of metro Las Vegas.
Firefighters are also contending with hot temperatures and low humidity. At least 32 homes have burned and six are damaged, but authorities said those numbers are sure to rise as assessment teams begin to survey the charred areas.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said the way the fire spread so quickly at its height had her fearing for the worst.
“It lit up these areas like nothing I’ve seen before,” she said Monday. “It took your breath away, in the worst way.”
Schools across Washoe County were closed Monday because of the evacuations and to keep roads clear for emergency crews. Nevada's governor declared a state of emergency in the county and mobilized the National Guard to help with aerial firefighting and protecting evacuated neighborhoods northwest of downtown Reno.
At one roadblock, residents expressed frustration Monday that they could not get back into their homes.
"There’s no fire here! Why are the National Guard here?” a driver yelled.
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said he understands that some residents are frustrated that they can’t get home but the danger isn’t over yet. “It just takes that little breeze and one ember,” he said.
The fire near the California state line began Saturday and exploded in size on Sunday. At least seven people — three first responders and four civilians — have been injured.
This 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. They haven't said whether the Hawk Fire was intentionally set or accidental. Much of the area that burned was sagebrush and grass.
Reno, home to about 280,000 people, is known for its casinos and as a gateway to nearby Lake Tahoe, North America’s largest alpine lake and a popular vacation destination. It's also southwest of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, site of the annual Burning Man festival, which begins next Sunday.
Many who travel to Burning Man make Reno a regular stop. Organizers on Monday asked attendees to not take hotel rooms and other resources away from fire evacuees, while being mindful of closures.
“Treat our neighbors, first responders, hospitality workers and everyone affected by this emergency with patience and care,” a Burning Man statement said.
Videos posted on social media showed the smoldering ruins of homes and cars, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.
Crystal Hallock, 53, lost her home to fire for a second time in less than a decade. She moved into the rebuilt house in 2019, a year after an electrical fire burned it down.
On Saturday, with a giant plume of smoke and flames visible on the nearby mountaintop, she fled with her children, grandchildren and pets. Her ex-husband tried to save the property and her vintage Cadillac, grabbing a garden hose as flames melted children’s toys and burned bushes.
She urged him over the phone to get out and feared the worst when the line went dead. “He was saying he can’t breathe, it’s so dark I can’t see, and I’m screaming at him, ‘Leave the car, just leave it,’” she said Monday.
Thirty minutes later, he called to say he had gotten out with the car. “I’m truly blessed because I have a place to stay with my animals and my grandkids. We were all able to get out safely," she said from a niece’s apartment in Reno.
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 returned Sunday to walk to her house and get a few more possessions.
“I literally want to cry and go back for all my stuff. I just got what I thought I needed," Delatorre said.
Some who spotted the smoke on Saturday thought it was from another wildfire that has been burning the past two weeks.
“The flames were pretty close to my house, and the smoke was really thick, but we have no idea if our house survived or not,” Jon Hanbury said Monday at Reno's convention center, which is now a shelter.
Much of Nevada’s western edge is under an increased risk of wildfires this week because of high winds and low relative humidity, the National Interagency Fire Center said. The National Weather Service says the region will see warm, dry and breezy conditions, and that critical fire weather conditions are possible in the week's later half. Reno sits at an elevation of 4,500 feet (1,370 meters).
Extremely dry conditions across the American West have sparked a rash of wildfires this summer. Fires in eastern Washington state forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area in early August.
Nationwide, there have been more than 50,000 wildfires — the most over the past 10 years covering the same time period, according to the national fire center.
