Story perspectives

Lombardo Declares Emergency as Hawk Fire Evacuates 90,000

8/26/2026

Summary

Lombardo Declares Emergency

Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as the Hawk Fire forced evacuations.
Nearly 90,000 residents received evacuation orders, including 42,000 mandatory orders.
The blaze burned at least 15,051 acres across the Sierra Nevada foothills by Sunday.
At least seven people, including three firefighters, were injured in the fire.
Forty-seven homes and one commercial building were destroyed, with eight other commercial structures damaged.

Summary

Nevada Firefighters Aid

Fire crews from Oakland, San Francisco, Hayward and Fremont were dispatched to aid Nevada firefighters.
Reno casinos and hotels offered discounted rooms to evacuees, easing shelter shortages.
Burning Man organizers asked attendees not to occupy hotel rooms needed by fire evacuees.
Officials confirmed the blaze was human-caused, but the ignition source remains under investigation.
Shelters accepted only small animals, sending larger pets to separate facilities and complicating evacuations.

History

Historical Context

On Nov 8 2018 a PG&E line failure sparked the Camp Fire, which burned 153,000 acres, killed 85 people and destroyed 18,804 structures, prompting a $16.5 billion federal response. The blaze coincided with the Woolsey and Hill fires and led California to overhaul evacuation alerts and emergency-housing rules. In 2024 the Hawk Fire forced 90,000 Nevada residents to evacuate, with crews from Oakland, San Francisco and Fremont assisting.

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Lombardo Declares Emergency

Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as the Hawk Fire forced evacuations.
Nearly 90,000 residents received evacuation orders, including 42,000 mandatory orders.
The blaze burned at least 15,051 acres across the Sierra Nevada foothills by Sunday.
At least seven people, including three firefighters, were injured in the fire.
Forty-seven homes and one commercial building were destroyed, with eight other commercial structures damaged.

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