Authorities reported that the Hawk Fire held steady at roughly 23 square miles with no additional growth as containment increased to 27 percent, according to an afternoon briefing covered by the Associated Press on August 25. US Forest Service District Ranger Matt Zumstein stated, «We are making progress.» The number of residents under evacuation orders or warnings dropped to approximately 63,000 from a weekend high above 90,000, briefing officials added.
Firefighters continued to contend with hot temperatures, low humidity and the risk of wind gusts that could drive flames into newly developed neighborhoods of Nevada’s second-largest city, the authorities warned. At least 32 homes have burned and six others sustained damage, though those totals are expected to increase once assessment teams examine the affected areas, according to the briefing. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said the fire’s swift advance had been alarming, stating, «It lit up these areas like nothing I’ve seen before. It took your breath away, in the worst way.»
Washoe County schools remained closed Monday to facilitate emergency operations and clear roads for crews, Nevada officials said after the governor declared a state of emergency in the county. The declaration included mobilization of the National Guard to support aerial firefighting and safeguard evacuated neighborhoods northwest of downtown Reno. At a roadblock one resident expressed irritation by yelling, «There’s no fire here! Why are the National Guard here?» while Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam responded that the hazard had not passed, stating, «It just takes that little breeze and one ember.»
The Hawk Fire, which ignited on August 22 near the California state line and surged Sunday, represents the third major wildfire in the rugged terrain north of Reno within the past two weeks, all linked to human activity, fire officials reported. Authorities have yet to specify whether the cause was intentional or accidental. The burned zone consisted primarily of sagebrush and grass.
National Interagency Fire Center figures show more than 50,000 wildfires have occurred nationwide year-to-date, burning millions of acres across the country.[[1]](https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics) In Nevada, human-caused fires have outnumbered lightning-induced incidents this season by a wide margin, with state reports placing them at 373 compared with 117, according to regional fire data.[[2]](https://www.facebook.com/wlkynews/posts/officials-say-a-fast-growing-wildfire-in-reno-nevada-was-caused-by-humans-full-s/1065597805844154/) A National Park Service assessment found humans ignite about 85 percent of wildfires annually in the United States.[[3]](https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-wildfires)
Scientific analysis has tied expanding wildfire activity across the western United States, including the Sierra Nevada, to climate factors, with more than half the increase in burned forest area since 1985 attributed to human-caused climate change, according to a University of California study.[[4]](https://cdm17192.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/p17192coll1/id/1043/download) Reno, home to approximately 280,000 residents, functions as a casino center and primary gateway to Lake Tahoe, North America’s largest alpine lake that has encountered its own wildfire pressures in recent years. The Hawk Fire originated in an area close to Somersett, where dozers were deployed to establish fuel breaks between the flames and residential zones, emergency updates indicated.
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