{"id":7077,"date":"2026-08-24T08:09:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T15:09:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/news\/7828865\/firefighters-are-trying-to-stop-a-fast-moving-nevada-wildfire-from-spreading-to-homes-in-reno\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T17:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T00:30:09","slug":"firefighters-make-progress-against-a-nevada-wildfire-thats-destroyed-more-than-30-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7077\/firefighters-make-progress-against-a-nevada-wildfire-thats-destroyed-more-than-30-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"Firefighters make progress against a Nevada wildfire that’s destroyed more than 30 homes"},"content":{"rendered":"

RENO, Nevada (AP) \u2014 Crews have started to contain a wildfire<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n

Containment reached 27% and there was no new growth of the Hawk Fire<\/a>, 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are making progress,\u201d said U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Matt Zumstein.<\/p>\n

The number of residents under evacuation orders and warnings was reduced to about 63,000, down from more than 90,000 people<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said the way the fire spread so quickly at its height had her fearing for the worst. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt lit up these areas like nothing I\u2019ve seen before,\u201d she said Monday. \u201cIt took your breath away, in the worst way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hawk Fire triggers evacuations and school closures<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

At one roadblock, residents expressed frustration Monday that they could not get back into their homes.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s no fire here! Why are the National Guard here?\u201d a driver yelled.<\/p>\n

Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said he understands that some residents are frustrated that they can\u2019t get home but the danger isn\u2019t over yet. \u201cIt just takes that little breeze and one ember,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Wildfires near Reno are blamed on human activity<\/p>\n

The fire near the California state line began Saturday and exploded in size on Sunday. At least seven people \u2014 three first responders and four civilians \u2014 have been injured.<\/p>\n

This is the third large wildfire in the rugged terrain north of Reno in the past two weeks \u2014 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. <\/p>\n

Reno, home to about 280,000 people, is known for its casinos and as a gateway to nearby Lake Tahoe, North America\u2019s largest alpine lake and a popular vacation destination. It’s also southwest of Nevada\u2019s Black Rock Desert, site of the annual Burning Man<\/a> festival, which begins next Sunday.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cTreat our neighbors, first responders, hospitality workers and everyone affected by this emergency with patience and care,\u201d a Burning Man statement said.<\/p>\n

Fire claims a Reno woman’s home for a second time<\/p>\n

Videos posted on social media showed the smoldering ruins of homes and cars, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s toys and burned bushes.<\/p>\n

She urged him over the phone to get out and feared the worst when the line went dead. \u201cHe was saying he can\u2019t breathe, it\u2019s so dark I can\u2019t see, and I\u2019m screaming at him, \u2018Leave the car, just leave it,\u2019\u201d she said Monday.<\/p>\n

Thirty minutes later, he called to say he had gotten out with the car. \u201cI\u2019m 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\u2019s apartment in Reno.<\/p>\n

Nevada fire spread quickly in foothills <\/p>\n

Many residents had little time to evacuate after the fire exploded in size. <\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I thought it was like in a movie,\u201d 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. <\/p>\n

\u201cI literally want to cry and go back for all my stuff. I just got what I thought I needed,” Delatorre said. <\/p>\n

Some who spotted the smoke on Saturday thought it was from another wildfire that has been burning the past two weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flames were pretty close to my house, and the smoke was really thick, but we have no idea if our house survived or not,\u201d Jon Hanbury said Monday at Reno’s convention center, which is now a shelter. <\/p>\n

Wildfire threat remains high in the West<\/p>\n

Much of Nevada\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n

Extremely dry conditions across the American West have sparked a rash of wildfires this summer. Fires in eastern Washington state<\/a> forced the evacuation of 60,000 people<\/a> in the Spokane area in early August.<\/p>\n

Nationwide, there have been more than 50,000 wildfires<\/a> \u2014 the most over the past 10 years covering the same time period, according to the national fire center.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Martha Bellisle in Seattle, and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed. <\/p>\n

\n \"|\"
This image taken from video shows a charred neighborhood following wildfires Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Reno, Nevada. (Tim Walton via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
Smoke fills the air from the Hawk Fire Aug. 22, 2026, in northwet Reno, Nevada. (Shane Merritt via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"|\"
This image taken from video shows active wildfires Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, in Reno, Nevada. (Tim Walton via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

RENO, Nevada (AP) \u2014 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":7078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"536d1c27-4a63-477a-a2a6-b46ed5da4ff5","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Haven Daly And John Seewer","published":"2026-08-24 08:09:08","updated":"2026-08-24 17:27:00","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1304],"tags":[],"region":[],"class_list":["post-7077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-world"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":7}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7077\/firefighters-make-progress-against-a-nevada-wildfire-thats-destroyed-more-than-30-homes\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Firefighters make progress against a Nevada wildfire that’s destroyed more than 30 homes","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7077\/firefighters-make-progress-against-a-nevada-wildfire-thats-destroyed-more-than-30-homes\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/7077\/firefighters-make-progress-against-a-nevada-wildfire-thats-destroyed-more-than-30-homes\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-7db55f56457504e77c71b79f0ba966ee2314ab019ecc3e83bd5446d230e683bd.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/inwheels-7db55f56457504e77c71b79f0ba966ee2314ab019ecc3e83bd5446d230e683bd.jpg"},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-08-24T15:09:08Z","datePublished":"2026-08-24T15:09:08Z","dateModified":"2026-08-25T00:30:09Z"},"rendered":"