(Credit - Agence France-Presse)
42,000 Evacuated as 15,000-Acre Hawk Fire Threatens Reno
The wind-driven Hawk Fire burned 15,051 acres northwest of Reno, Nevada, after igniting over the weekend. Local emergency authorities ordered 42,000 residents to evacuate immediately and placed another 45,000 on high alert as extreme fire behavior pushed the flames within five miles of the city.
Washoe County Declares Emergency as Blazes Destroy Homes and Force School Closures
At least six people sustained injuries, including three first responders, while the human-caused fire destroyed several mountaintop homes and blanketed the area in thick smoke that forced citywide school closures. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as more than 700 firefighters, supported by helicopters, fire engines, and bulldozers, struggled to establish containment lines against dry brush and wind-fueled runs expected to continue over the next 48 hours. Local fire chief Richard Edwards warned that shifting gusts are driving the flames directly toward residential zones.
