A wildfire bursting from Reno, Nevada, late Saturday morning, swept through about 15,000 acres, forcing about 90,000 people to evacuate their homes as it threatened to engulf neighborhoods and reach the campus of the state university by Sunday afternoon.
The fire, dubbed the “Hawk Fire” because of the hawks in the region, spread quickly because of strong winds, dry vegetation, and low humidity. Roughly half of those urged to evacuate, about 42,000 people, were placed under strict orders, while the remaining 45,000 were encouraged to leave as soon as possible.
“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement posted on Facebook. “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.”
“I encourage our community to please keep our firefighters and first responders in your prayers and to open your hearts, homes and businesses to the people who have had to evacuate,” she added.
Video footage showed the county’s school buses being deployed to evacuate people.
Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and deployed the National Guard. The authorities confirmed that three people, along with three first responders, had been injured and several buildings destroyed in what they said was a human-caused fire, but no other details about the cause were immediately available while it was under investigation.