At least six injured in Reno, Nevada, wildfire as 42,000 forced to evacuate

Fast-moving, ‘human-caused’ fire in Reno leaves thousands of homes and businesses without power, officials say

Tens of thousands of people in Nevada were urged to evacuate as a fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire bore down on the city of Reno.

The Hawk fire began on Saturday to the north-west of the city, and quickly grew, showing “extreme fire behavior”.

No deaths have been reported, but at least six people have been injured – including three first responders – with several mountaintop houses destroyed, according to local media.

Officials said the fire was “human-caused”, but did not say how it started.

About 42,000 people have been forced to evacuate and an additional 45,000 have been told to get ready to leave, Reno’s mayor, Hillary Schieve, told CNN.

All but one school in Washoe county, where Reno is located, will remain closed on Monday, authorities said. Nearly 10,000 homes and businesses in Washoe county were without power. Portions of US Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed.

The rapidly expanding fire was surrounded by neighborhoods. Richard Edwards, the local fire chief, urged people to be ready to evacuate immediately when told to do so.

“The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us as it’s being driven by the winds. The wind-driven fires move very rapidly into our residential areas,” he said.

“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Schieve, the Reno mayor, said in a statement on social media.

“It was extremely confusing,” said Darin Balaam, the Washoe county sheriff, describing how changing winds sent the flames in different directions.

The fire had already proved to be a challenge on Saturday night, moving exceptionally fast, jumping over fire trucks and making it difficult for responders to get to hotspots while residents were trying to get out, Balaam said.

Joe Lombardo, Nevada’s governor, has declared a state of emergency in Washoe county.

A local fire rescue service said about 800 people were supporting firefighting efforts, including crews from Australia and New Zealand.