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Wildfire near Reno prompts thousands of evacuations

The human-caused Hawk Fire grew to 13,000 acres near Reno, Nevada, on Sunday, resulting in thousands of evacuations and 0% containment.

Published August 23, 2026 at 8:09 AM EDT

The short answer

The human-caused Hawk Fire grew to 13,000 acres near Reno, Nevada, on Sunday, resulting in thousands of evacuations and 0% containment. A fast-moving wildfire, named the Hawk Fire, expanded to 13,000 acres near Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. The fire has triggered evacuation orders for thousands of residents as emergency crews reported 0% containment of the blaze.

Wildfire near Reno prompts thousands of evacuations

The Facts

Who
Nevada fire officials and thousands of residents
What
Hawk Fire wildfire and evacuations
When
Sunday
Where
Reno, Nevada
Why
A human-caused wildfire grew to 13,000 acres with zero containment, threatening homes and forcing evacuations.

A fast-moving wildfire, named the Hawk Fire, expanded to 13,000 acres near Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. The fire has triggered evacuation orders for thousands of residents as emergency crews reported 0% containment of the blaze.

The wildfire began recently and was identified by officials as human-caused. While specific details on the ignition source were not provided, the fire rapidly escalated in size due to environmental conditions.

As of Sunday, the fire continues to threaten the outskirts of Reno. Firefighting teams are working to establish containment lines, though they have not yet successfully secured any portion of the fire's perimeter.

The scale of the fire, at 13,000 acres, translates to approximately 20 square miles of affected land. This scale necessitates a large-scale mobilization of firefighting resources, which may impact local government budgets and regional emergency response availability. The lack of containment means that the threat remains active, and the number of affected individuals could grow if the fire spreads further into residential districts.

What happens next depends on weather conditions and firefighting efforts. As of Sunday, no timeline for containment has been established. Residents are advised to monitor official emergency alerts for updates on evacuation zones and shelter locations. Further investigations into the human cause of the fire are expected to continue as conditions allow.

Summaries are written by The Plain Record to state the facts of a story plainly and without political slant. See our editorial standards, or report a correction.

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Questions readers ask

What happened: Wildfire near Reno prompts thousands of evacuations?

A fast-moving wildfire, named the Hawk Fire, expanded to 13,000 acres near Reno, Nevada, on Sunday. The fire has triggered evacuation orders for thousands of residents as emergency crews reported 0% containment of the blaze.

Who is involved?

Nevada fire officials and thousands of residents

When did this happen?

Sunday

Where did this happen?

Reno, Nevada

Why does this matter?

A human-caused wildfire grew to 13,000 acres with zero containment, threatening homes and forcing evacuations.