Smoke rises from the Hawk Fire in Washoe County, Nevada, as seen from nearby Sierra County in California on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026.
Sierra County Sheriff’s Office
The human-caused Hawk Fire spread rapidly Saturday near the Nevada-California border, destroying several structures, injuring six people and forcing about 42,000 residents to evacuate, officials said.
Shane Akerson, a battalion chief with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, confirmed Sunday that the fire was human-caused, though the circumstances remained under investigation.
“However, that is still undergoing active investigation, and we don’t have further details provided at this time,” he said.
The blaze quickly grew across more than 10,000 acres as it moved through rugged foothills surrounded by homes and businesses near the Nevada-California border.
Three civilians and three first responders were injured, officials said. Several structures were also destroyed as firefighters worked to contain the rapidly expanding flames.
Evacuation orders continued as the fire threatened communities around Reno and the Truckee area. By Sunday afternoon, about 42,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate from the expanding “GO NOW” zone, which reached the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno. Another 45,000 people were in an adjacent evacuation warning area.
Authorities urged residents under evacuation orders to leave immediately and warned those in surrounding areas to be prepared to remain away from their homes for several days. Shifting and strengthening winds were expected to make firefighting efforts more difficult and the fire’s behavior more unpredictable.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County on Saturday as the fire continued to spread and evacuation orders expanded.
“I have declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as we respond to the Hawk Fire, which is spreading quickly and threatening homes and structures,” he said. “Please heed all warnings from local officials, evacuate immediately if you are ordered to do so, and do not put yourself or first responders at risk.”
Under the declaration, state agencies were directed to coordinate through the Nevada Emergency Operations Center and provide additional support to local authorities responding to the fire.
“The state is fully engaged, and we are working alongside local authorities and first responders to deploy every available resource to protect lives, safeguard communities, and keep Nevadans out of harm’s way,” Lombardo said.
Fire officials continued to urge residents to follow evacuation instructions and avoid areas threatened by the fire as crews responded to the fast-moving blaze.
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Nicole Buss is The Sacramento Bee’s Roseville/Placer County watchdog reporter. She previously covered Placer County at Gold Country Media. Buss grew up in Lincoln and is a graduate of Sierra College and Arizona State University.