The Hawk Fire tore through Northwest Reno overnight, exploding from roughly 2,500 to 3,000 acres late Saturday to more than 10,500 acres with zero containment by Sunday, forcing thousands of residents near Peavine Mountain to flee their homes. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County as flames jumped U.S. Route 395 and utility crews scrambled to shut off power across the region to keep the blaze from spreading further.
According to the Washoe County Sheriff's Office, the fire was moving northeast toward North Virginia Street between Seneca Drive and Copperfield Drive as of Saturday night, prompting evacuation orders for an area covering roughly 1,000 homes under a warning-get set designation. The sheriff's office urged residents in the fire's path to have a go-bag packed and to monitor perimetermap.com for updated evacuation information, warning that conditions could change rapidly. The governor's emergency declaration, reported by KTVN, directs state agencies to coordinate through the Nevada Emergency Operations Center as the fire's growth outpaced initial containment efforts.
Firefighting Resources Already Stretched Thin
The Hawk Fire ignited just as Northern Nevada crews were still managing the aftermath of the massive Bug Fire, which CAL FIRE incident records show had burned 93,733 acres across Washoe, Lassen, and Sierra counties since it started on August 8. Hoodline previously reported on the Bug Fire's explosive growth near Cold Springs and Silver Knolls, and the Sheriff's Office confirmed that resources diverted from that fire were being redirected to help fight the Hawk Fire. Per the Sheriff's Office, a Cal Fire support request had already been initiated, with mutual aid drawing on local, state, and federal resources, including air tankers and two helicopters. The Hawk Fire is now operating in unified command with the U.S. Forest Service–Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
The strain on regional firefighting capacity followed weeks of overlapping wildfires. Hoodline earlier covered the Eagle Fire's fight for air tankers near Topaz Lake and the Double Spring Fire's closure of U.S. 395 near Gardnerville, both of which competed for the same limited pool of crews and equipment now being called upon for the Hawk Fire response.
National Guard Deploys Helicopters and Ground Troops
Governor Lombardo's emergency order triggered a Nevada National Guard deployment on Saturday that included a CH-47 Chinook and a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for aerial water drops, according to the Nevada National Guard. The Guard also sent 60 Response Force personnel to provide security in neighborhoods that had already been evacuated, supplementing local law enforcement stretched thin by the overlapping fire responses.
Washoe County Sheriff's deputies closed U.S. Route 395 in both directions between Parr Boulevard and Red Rock Road after flames jumped the highway near Peppermint Drive, as reported by SFGATE. The closure cut off a major regional corridor connecting Reno with northern Washoe County at the same time evacuees were trying to leave the area.
Power Shutoffs Ripple Into California
NV Energy implemented emergency power shutoffs across northwest Reno and the North Valleys on Saturday, leaving more than 60,000 customers without electricity as crews worked to prevent transmission lines from igniting secondary fires as flames approached utility equipment, per the same outlet's report. The de-energization was intended purely as a precaution to protect high-voltage infrastructure directly in the fire's path.
The shutoff cascaded across the state line, cutting power to roughly 14,800 Truckee Donner Public Utility District customers and 22,000 Liberty Utilities customers in Truckee and North Lake Tahoe, since eastern California power distributors depend directly on Nevada transmission corridors, SFGATE reported. The Sierra County Sheriff's Office in California issued evacuation warnings for zones covering the Verdi and Long Valley areas as the Hawk Fire pushed westward toward the state line.
Shelters Open for People, Pets, and Livestock
Washoe County emergency officials opened a primary human evacuation shelter in Hall 4 of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on South Virginia Street after the initial shelter at Evelyn Mount Community Center reached capacity, according to 2 News Nevada. The convention center shelter was staffed jointly by the American Red Cross of Nevada and Washoe County Human Services.
For displaced residents with animals, emergency management designated the Washoe County Regional Animal Services facility on Longley Lane for small domestic pets and the Ironwood Event Center on Whiskey Springs Road for large livestock evacuations, addressing the needs of rural and suburban residents fleeing with horses and other animals. The University of Nevada, Reno also issued a campus advisory setting up temporary housing support through its Dean of Students Office for students and staff affected by evacuation orders ahead of the upcoming fall term, even though the main campus remained outside the immediate evacuation zone.
With zero containment reported and conditions described as capable of changing rapidly, officials continued to urge residents throughout the affected zones to stay alert for new evacuation orders and to keep go-bags ready as crews worked to establish a fireline around the Hawk Fire.
