Nevada’s Hawk Fire blamed on human activity, official says, as 90,000 urged to flee

By Maria Aguilar Prieto, Hanna Park and Martin Goillandeau, CNN

(CNN) — Flames could be seen rapidly advancing down a Nevada hillside toward illuminated neighborhoods late Saturday, marking the latest in a destructive fire season that has scorched thousands of acres and forced the evacuations of entire towns across the Southwest.

Now officials say the uncontained Hawk Fire in nortwest Reno was human-caused, as 90,000 residents are urged to evacuate.

The fast-growing brush fire had already forced thousands of residents from their homes after igniting Saturday and prompted Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo to declare a state of emergency in Washoe County.

The wildfire ballooned to cover about 13,000 acres by Sunday, according to fire officials.

By Sunday afternoon, 42,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders, Shane Akerson, one of three unified incident commanders with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, said during a news conference. An additional 45,000 people were in yellow evacuation warning zones that should be prepared to leave, according to Akerson.

Sheriff Darin Balaam urged those residents in the yellow zones to evacuate early if possible to avoid potential traffic jams leaving the heavily populated area.

Three civilians and three first responders have been injured, Akerson said. About 5,000 people are without power, he added.

Authorities didn’t provide further details about the cause of the fire and said it is currently under investigation.

There are assessments underway to determine how many structures have been lost to the fire, Akerson added.

🌧️ Get your local forecast in the CNN Weather app

“This is an active and rapidly evolving situation, and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant,” Lombardo wrote on X. He urged those who were asked to evacuate to do so immediately.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said “structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building,” in a message posted by the City of Reno on X.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Sunday his team was keeping track of the situation near the Nevada-California border.

“We’re closely monitoring the #HawkFire across the Tahoe region and Nevada, with state and local partners deployed and coordinating on the ground and in the air,” he said on X. “Residents in impacted areas should continue following guidance from local emergency officials.”

The wildfire grew rapidly Saturday, driven by gusty winds, low humidity and dry brush. Some 800 firefighters have been battling the blaze, officials said, but the high winds had complicated efforts to contain it.

Dry conditions and low humidity will continue in Reno on Sunday. Winds will weaken and shift to the south Sunday night, which could enable more smoke to spread throughout the Reno metro area. Wind gusts could increase and be more frequent throughout the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Cari Kieffer told The Associated Press she saw a video posted on social media that showed her house burned down, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.

“I woke up this morning and just started crying — all my kids, they lost everything,” Kieffer said Sunday. “We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone.”

Kieffer said her family rushed home from her son’s football game Saturday to save their dogs and whatever possessions they could grab after learning their home was in an evacuation zone.

“I kept looking outside and the flames just kept getting closer and closer every time I looked,” Kieffer told the outlet. “I was like, ‘we gotta go like now.’”

Ken McNeil, who lives in the Somersett neighborhood in an evacuation zone, told CNN affiliate KTVN his wife is more than prepared to get them out. He also commended the efforts of firefighters, who are using airtankers to battle the blaze.

“I think they’re doing a great job. That’s an inaccessible area,” McNeil said. “They’re using a lot of aircraft, and that’s what you have to do to fight this fire.”

Northwest Specialty Hospital, located in the evacuation warning area, has started evacuating patients due to the nearby wildfire, according to a news release. The hospital is working with emergency responders to close the facility and notifying families of affected patients.

“The safety and well-being of our rehabilitation and behavioral health patients and staff remain the highest priority and we are evacuating out of an abundance of caution,” the hospital said in a statement.

Washoe County School District announced all classes, events and activities would be cancelled on Monday at nearly all schools in the district.

The evacuation zone has reached right up to the edge of the University of Nevada campus. The university officials said they are providing support and assistance to students affected by the wildfire, according to a statement from the university. An emergency response and evacuation plan is in place if conditions change.

This story has been updated with additional information

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Avni Trivedi and Tyler Ory contributed to this report.