This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
The Hawk Fire grew to more than 10,500 acres Saturday, threatening 1,000 homes and prompting expanded evacuation orders and warnings across northwest Reno and the North Valleys.
Residents should check perimetermap.com for exact boundaries. Evacuees can go to the Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center at 1301 Valley Road.
The fire started about 11:30 a.m. Saturday approximately one mile north of Cold Creek Trail near Somersett.
Evacuation zone extends further south to Rancho San Rafael, McQueen High and Somersett; UNR monitoring the situation
The evacuation zone for the Hawk Fire was extended further south as of 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 22.
“New evacuations are in effect for the Somersett community, including areas north of Somersett Parkway to Robb Drive, as well as neighborhoods north of W. 7th Street to N. McCarran Boulevard,” the Washoe County Sheriff’s office said in a statement.
The red “go now” evacuation areas on Perimtermap.com now include several former yellow areas such as Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, the northern side of Kings Row, McQueen High School, Sierra Vista Park and Somersett Golf and Country Club.
Areas immediately north of Interstate 80 from Everett Drive in the east all the way west to Boomtown and Cabela Drive have also been added to the yellow “get ready” zone. Cabela’s itself is still not included in an evacuation zone but the areas just north of it are either in a yellow or red zone.
As the evacuation zone continued to creep toward the University of Nevada, Reno, the school released a statement on Saturday evening.
“At this time, the University campus is not within an evacuation or “Get Ready" (Yellow) evacuation zone,” UNR noted. “University leadership is actively monitoring the situation and will provide updates as needed.”
Lombardo declares state of emergency for Hawk Fire
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as the Hawk Fire spread rapidly and evacuation orders expanded.
“Please heed all warnings from local officials, evacuate immediately if you are ordered to do so, and do not put yourself or first responders at risk,” Lombardo said in a statement Saturday night.
Under the declaration, all state agencies are directed to work through the Nevada Emergency Operations Center to supplement local efforts.
The Hawk Fire is up to 10,522 acres burned, and structures have been confirmed lost in the fire.
All northbound traffic on U.S. Highway 395 is closed beginning at Parr Boulevard.
The southbound highway route remains open for evacuation traffic. All off-ramps are closed between Red Rock Road and Parr Boulevard.
Motorists must remain on the highway as they travel south toward Reno.
Residents evacuating from areas north of Red Rock Road must use the highway to travel north out of the area.Truckee Meadows fire officials ask everyone to avoid the area unless necessary and allow emergency personnel room to safely continue response operations.
Structures lost in Reno's Hawk Fire
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve announced that structures have been lost in Saturday's Hawk Fire in northwest Reno as she pleaded for those near the fire to follow evacuation orders.
"If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait! Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building. Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze."
Schieve's statement provided no other information on the number or type of structures lost.
The latest evacuation zones can be seen at perimetermap.com. A new evacuation center has been established in Hall 4 of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center at 4590 S. Virginia St.
WatchDuty.org's latest map shows the fire having leapt U.S. 395 west of Stead Boulevard.
Evelyn Mount Center full; new evacuation center at Reno-Sparks Convention Center
Reno and Truckee Meadows fire chiefs and Washoe County's sheriff are telling people to stay out of the North Valleys Saturday evening.
"If you do not have a reason to be in the North Valleys area, please stay out of the area to allow emergency personnel to safely continue response operations," TMFR Chief Rick Edwards, Reno Fire Chief Dave Cochran and Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaan said in a statement on Facebook.
The Facebook post also noted that the Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center, which is being used as an evacuation center, is now full. A new evacuation center has been established in Hall 4 of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center at 4590 S. Virginia St.
Mandatory evacuations reach Lemmon Valley
Parts of Lemmon Valley now are under mandatory evacuation orders as of 7:30 p.m., with the rest of the area and most of Golden Valley under evacuation warnings.
Northbound traffic on Virginia Street is being held at McCarran Boulevard, and northbound traffic on U.S. 395 is being halted at Parr Boulevard.
More than 41,000 NV Energy customers remain without power in Washoe County as of 8 p.m. Saturday.
Hawk Fire grows to 8,000 acres, reportedly jumps US 395
The Hawk Fire grew to 8,020 acres Saturday evening, Watch Duty reported, citing the National Interagency Fire Center.
Watch Duty also reported that radio traffic indicated the fire had jumped U.S. 395 near Peppermint Drive.
Nearly 48,700 NV Energy customers without power
Nearly 48,700 NV Energy customers were without power across the Reno-Sparks area Saturday evening, according to the utility’s outage map.
The outages included about 21,360 customers in the North Valleys, 17,267 east of Pyramid Way near Sparks Boulevard and 9,985 near McCarran Boulevard and Sutro Street. Another 87 customers were without power farther south.
It was not immediately clear whether all the outages were caused by the Hawk Fire.
Hawk Fire evacuation zone expands past U.S. Highway 395
The evacuation zone for the Hawk Fire just expanded again, crossing across a portion of U.S. Highway 395 for the first time.
Areas just north of U.S. 395 from North Hills Boulevard to Cold Hills Springs were designated as evacuation zones just before 6:30 p.m., according to the latest update from Perimetermap.com.
The new evacuation zones include several retail areas such as the North Hills Shopping Center, which is the site of North Valleys Library and a Raley’s grocery store. The retail areas on Lemmon Drive near U.S. 395 are in the evacuation zone as well, including Walmart, Smith’s and Grocery Outlet.
Other places in the expanded evacuation zone include Alice Smith Elementary School, O’Brian Middle School, part of Sierra Sage Golf Course, Granite Hills and White Lake.
New areas were also added to the yellow zones, which indicate that residents need to get ready to evacuate should conditions worsen.
- The Western Road area near Panther Valley Park
- The areas around Panther Drive, W. Ranger Road, Coggins Road and Hagar Road
- The area around the Bonanza Casino, including the eastern and southern sides of Rancho San Rafael Townhomes (the western side is in the red zone)
- The northern side of Kings Row past North McCarran Boulevard
- The area around Las Brisas Boulevard
- McQueen High School
- The areas north of Somersett Parkway, including Dakota Ridge Trail, Peavine Valley Road and Somersett West Park
- The area north of Interstate 80, including Boomtown, the southwestern portion of Somerset Ridge Parkway, the eastern side of Third Street up to the Truckee River, Riverdale, the southeast side of Dog Valley Road, and Sunrise Creek Road.
Cabela’s remains outside of any evacuation or warning zones.
North Valleys ER closes due to Hawk Fire
ER at North Valleys, a freestanding emergency department, is temporarily closed as of 5:22 p.m. due to the Hawk Fire and a mandatory fire evacuation. The ER is an extension of Northern Nevada Medical Center.
Jamie Uboldi, a spokesperson for the Northern Nevada Health System, said the facility is evacuating patients and staff in the building to appropriate facilities in a safe and efficient manner.
All patients have a safe transport plan and will be evacuated immediately. Nearly all patients have already been evacuated, Uboldi said in an email Saturday.
“The closure will remain in effect until emergency personnel determine the area is safe to reopen. Patients are asked not to come to the facility while the closure is in effect,” the email said.
Uboldi said the ER is not expected to reopen for a while, depending on smoke conditions, but the health system will keep the public updated.
Additional updates will be provided when more information is available.
For alternative ER care, visit nnhs.com/er.
Hawk Fire evacuation orders expand; part of U.S. 395 closed
The mandatory evacuation area for the Hawk Fire now includes several residences after it was expanded on Saturday afternoon.
All areas that used to be under the “get set” evacuation warning from Raleigh Heights to Red Rock west of U.S. Highway 395 have been switched to a “go now” evacuation mandate, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
The “go now” evacuation zones were expanded to include the entirety of Hoge and Stoltz Roads west of North Virginia Street, including the Bonanza Terrace RV Park.
Also included in the mandatory evacuation zone is the western edge of Vista Rafael Parkway past Madeline Jane Lane. The new evacuation area includes the western portion of Rancho San Rafael Townhomes near the corner of Stoltz Road and Vista Rafael Parkway.
US 395 is currently closed in both directions from Parr Boulevard to Red Rock Road because of the Hawk Fire.
People in the affected areas should leave immediately. Check perimetermap.com for the exact evacuation boundaries.
NV Energy reports 1,600 customers without power
NV Energy is reporting about 1,600 customers without power. More than 1,100 customers in the 89506 ZIP code are without power because of the Hawk Fire.
Hawk Fire threatens 1,000 homes
The Hawk Fire has grown to “approximately 2,500 to 3,000 acres,” and is moving northeast toward North Virginia Street between Seneca Drive and Copperfield, according to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
The fire, which is burning now near the Peavine area of Reno, is also threatening 1,000 homes, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
“Substantial resources” have been diverted from the older Bug Fire to deal with the Hawk Fire, according to Washoe County. The Bug Fire, which is located just north of the Hawk Fire, was 94% contained as of Friday. The nearby Stallion Fire was 98% contained as of Friday.
Incident command has also requested support from Cal Fire.
There are evacuations in multiple parts of Reno. The fire has grown from just a few acres when it started around 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. Truckee Meadows Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service are in unified command.
Hawk Fire grows to at least 2,500 acres
The Hawk Fire is now at 2,500 acres with no containment listed.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for areas north of Verdi and Somersett, with evacuation warnings for much of the area southwest of U.S. 395 between Panther Valley and Silver Lake, as well as parts of Sierra County in California.
Check perimetermap.com for the latest evacuation zones.
Few NV Energy outages reported during Hawk Fire
NV Energy is reporting few outages this afternoon due to the Hawk Fire.
A total of 18 customers were listed as without power due to active wildfire as of 1:45 p.m., all in the 89506 and 89508 area codes. There was no estimated time for power restoration.
Hawk Fire evacuation warning expands
An evacuation warning is now in effect north and northwest of Somersett and north of Verdi, according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
“While the majority of the evacuation area is unpopulated, residents near the immediate area should remain alert and prepared, as conditions can change rapidly,” the sheriff’s office warned.
“Please use caution in and around the area, remain alert for changing conditions, and be aware of emergency vehicles and personnel responding to the incident.”
Residents on the west side of U.S. Highway 395 at Golden Valley, Lemmon Valley and Stead are being advised to get ready for a potential evacuation in case conditions worsen.
Areas in the yellow “get set” zone include Hoge Road and the Raleigh Heights area. Parts of North Virginia Street from Hoge Road to just past Golden Valley Road are also included in the yellow zone.
Multiple agencies are working on the Hawk Fire including the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, Reno Fire Department and the Washoe County Sheriff's Office. The Carson City Fire Department is also responding to the incident.
“Carson City Fire Department is assisting our neighboring agencies with a mutual aid response on the Hawk Fire in Reno, off the Hawk Meadow Trail approx 1 mile north of Cold Creek Trail, Somersett.,” the Carson fire agency said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
“Working together ensures the closest available resources respond quickly when they’re needed most.”
Downtown Reno hotel-casinos offering discounted rates
Several downtown Reno hotel-casinos are offering discounted room rates at its downtown Reno hotel-casinos for people potentially impacted by the Hawk Fire.
“Due to an ongoing fire and evacuations in the greater Reno area, the Silver Legacy, Eldorado, and Circus Circus Reno are offering emergency room rates for evacuated people of $59 per night with complimentary resort fees,” Caesars Entertainment said in a statement.
Guests looking to book a room at any of the three properties can call 1-800-223-7277 or book online using code SCLOC2.
The J Resort is also offering a discounted rate of $59 a night with no resort fees. To get the discounted rate, use the code "HAWK26" when booking online.
Red Flag Warning in effect for Washoe, Carson, Lyon, Storey, Douglas
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning on Saturday for much of northwestern Nevada as well as several counties in northeastern California.
Southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph are expected in the area through 11 p.m. Saturday, with gusts of up to 40 mph. The warning also noted that humidity as low as 12% was a factor.
"The combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly grow in size and intensity before first responders can contain them," the NWS reported.
The warning covered Washoe, Douglas and Storey counties as well as western Lyon County and Carson City in Nevada. In California, the warning covers Surprise Valley and eastern and southern Lassen County.
Residents of the area are advised to avoid outdoor activities that could cause a spark near dry vegetation, including yard work, target shooting or lighting campfires.
Here's the National Weather Service's forecast for the area over the next few days:
- Saturday: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon; highs 89-94. Southwest winds 10-15 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.
- Saturday night: Clear; lows 56 to 66. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph in the evening, becoming light.
- Sunday: Sunny; highs 89 to 94. Light winds becoming southwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.
- Sunday night: Partly cloudy; lows 57 to 67. West winds around 10 mph in the evening, becoming light.
- Monday: Partly cloudy; slight chance of showers in the afternoon; highs 88 to 93. Light winds becoming southwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.
- Monday night: Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming clear; lows 56 to 66.