The Hawk Fire

Burning northwest of Reno since about 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 22, from near Peavine Mountain and Somersett into the North Valleys and across the state line into Sierra County, California. This page collects what is publicly reported, names the source for every figure, and says plainly what is not yet known.

Reno, Nev.Sun Aug 23, 20266:00 pm PDT editionConditions change hourly

0%Containedall outlets, Sun evening

Evacuation orders are active. About 14,000 homes are under order, roughly 90,000 people sit inside evacuation zones, and six injuries are reported, with zero fatalities, as of Sunday evening.

How big it is depends on who you read: reported size runs 10,500 to 15,000 acres, and no published agency figure settles the spread. Each number, and its source, is named in the key figures rail.

Independently published; not a government site and not affiliated with any emergency agency. Where this page and an official order disagree, the order wins. Official channels are listed at the bottom of this page and in the right column. In an emergency call 911.

The Situation

What is happening now

The Hawk Fire started about 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 22, near Peavine Mountain and the Somersett neighborhood in northwest Reno. Pushed by Red Flag winds gusting to 40 mph, it ran north and west through Saturday afternoon, crossed into Sierra County, California, per KOLO, and jumped US 395 at Peppermint Drive in the North Valleys. By Sunday evening containment remained at zero percent.

How big it is depends on who you read. 2News reported 10,500 plus acres in its body text as of 5:55 p.m. Sunday, while its own headline said 15,000; Fox5 Vegas and ABC News reported 13,000 acres at midday Sunday. No published agency figure settles the discrepancy, so this page carries the full range, 10,500 to 15,000 acres, and names each source in the rail at right.

The human footprint is not disputed. About 14,000 homes are under evacuation order and roughly 90,000 people sit inside evacuation zones: about 42,000 under mandatory orders and about 45,000 under warnings, per Sunday reporting. Six injuries are reported, three civilians and three first responders, with zero fatalities. Structures have burned, but officials have not released a count. About 1,000 homes were described as threatened as of Saturday night.

The response has roughly doubled in a day: about 800 personnel by Sunday evening, up from around 400 at midday. The Nevada National Guard has a CH-47 Chinook and a UH-60 Black Hawk flying water drops alongside airtankers and at least two other helicopters, and 60 Guard ground troops are working neighborhood security in evacuated areas. Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County. Officials say the fire was human caused; they have not released specifics, and the lead investigating agency has not been named in reporting we have seen.

Sources for this section: 2News, KOLO, Fox5 Vegas, ABC News, This Is Reno, reporting dated Aug 22-23, 2026. Every figure above also appears in the rail with its source. Conditions change hourly; verify against official channels before acting.

Locator Map

Where things are: a schematic, not a perimeter

Schematic locator map of the Hawk Fire area. Not an official perimeter map and not to scale. A hand-drawn, not-to-scale locator sketch, north at the top. A dashed vertical line at left is the California and Nevada state line. US 395 runs from Bordertown at the top down to downtown Reno at the bottom; its northbound closure from Parr Boulevard to Bordertown is drawn as a dashed segment, and the open segment south of Parr Boulevard is solid. North Virginia Street runs parallel to the west with its closure marked from Red Rock Road to White Lake Parkway. West of US 395 sit Cold Springs, Stead with the Reno-Stead Airport closed to general aviation, Lemmon Valley, and Golden Valley, all inside the GO NOW mandatory evacuation area, which also covers Peavine Mountain, Somersett, and the area north of Verdi, reaching south to the edge of the University of Nevada Reno campus. East of US 395, Silver Knolls and neighboring portions sit in the GET SET warning area. A hatched region over Peavine Mountain and the valleys to its north marks the general reported fire area, crossing the state line and crossing US 395 at Peppermint Drive, where a marker notes the jump. Interstate 80 crosses the bottom through Verdi to downtown Reno and the UNR campus. South of downtown, a shelter marker shows the Reno-Sparks Convention Center at 4590 South Virginia Street, and to the east the Ironwood Event Center is marked as the large animal site. GET SET warning: portions of named areas GO NOW mandatory: leave immediately CALIFORNIA / SIERRA CO. NEVADA / WASHOE CO. THE NORTH VALLEYS PEAVINE MOUNTAIN I-80 RED ROCK RD WHITE LAKE PKWY N VIRGINIA ST: CLOSED US 395 BORDERTOWN PARR BLVD NB CLOSED PARR BLVD TO BORDERTOWN SB RAMPS: EVAC ONLY GENERAL FIRE AREA FIRE JUMPED US 395 AT PEPPERMINT DR COLD SPRINGS STEAD LEMMON VALLEY GOLDEN VALLEY SILVER KNOLLS RENO-STEAD AIRPORT CLOSED TO GA IRONWOOD EVENT CENTER LARGE ANIMAL SITE SOMERSETT VERDI UNR CAMPUS GO NOW REACHED CAMPUS EDGE DOWNTOWN RENO RENO-SPARKS CONVENTION CENTER SHELTER, HALL 4. 4590 S VIRGINIA ST N SCHEMATIC, NOT AN OFFICIAL PERIMETER MAP NOT TO SCALE. Never use this sketch to judge whether an address is safe. Zone status: Washoe County official map.
  • GO NOW: mandatory evacuation order. Leave immediately.
  • GET SET: warning. Portions of the named areas. Be ready to leave.
  • General reported fire area. No perimeter implied.
  • Fire jumped US 395 at Peppermint Drive.
  • Closed road segment: US 395 NB Parr Blvd to Bordertown; N Virginia St, Red Rock Rd to White Lake Pkwy.
  • Open road.
  • Shelter: Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Hall 4, 4590 S Virginia St. No pets inside.
  • Large animal site: Ironwood Event Center, 5600 Whiskey Springs Rd.
  • Reno-Stead Airport: closed to general aviation for firefighting aircraft.
  • Hairline grid is for reference only. Not to scale. Positions are schematic.
Orientation only. This is a hand-drawn locator sketch of the general relationships: the reported fire area against Peavine Mountain, Somersett, the North Valleys, US 395 and its closures, the university, and downtown Reno. It shows no perimeter and carries no authority. Zone boundaries and road status change hourly.
The authoritative source Check your address on the official Washoe County evacuation map Evacuation zones belong to Washoe County emergency management. Use their map, not this sketch, to decide anything about your own address.

Evacuation

Evacuation zones and shelters

Go Now MANDATORY. LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. ROADS CAN CLOSE BEHIND YOU.

North and northwest of Somersett; north of Verdi; and the west side of US 395 including Golden Valley, Lemmon Valley, Stead, and Cold Springs. The southern edge of the order reached the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno campus.

Per reporting dated Aug 23: Newsweek, 2News. Zone boundaries belong to Washoe County, not this site. Confirm your address on the county map before deciding anything.

Get Set WARNING. BE PACKED, FUELED, AND READY TO LEAVE ON SHORT NOTICE.

Portions of Stead, Golden Valley, Cold Springs, Lemmon Valley, and Silver Knolls.

Per reporting dated Aug 23: Newsweek. No repopulations or downgrades had been announced as of Sunday evening.

Shelters

Shelter status, per 2News reporting dated Aug 23, 2026
LocationForStatus and notes
Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Hall 44590 South Virginia Street, Reno People. Primary shelter. Open. More than 450 people stayed the first night. No pets inside.
Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center People Reached capacity Saturday. Go to the Convention Center instead.
Ironwood Event Center5600 Whiskey Springs Road Large animals Accepting horses and livestock.
Washoe County Regional Animal Services Small animals Taking dogs, cats, and other small pets for evacuees.

Health note: North Valleys ER is temporarily closed. Reroute to another facility and call ahead if you can.

Roads and Utilities

Roads, air, and utilities

Closure points. This Is Reno counted 19 Sunday morning; the majors are below.
RouteStatusDetail
US 395 NB Closed Parr Boulevard to Bordertown.
US 395 SB Evac only Southbound ramps open between Stead Boulevard and Reno for evacuation traffic only.
N Virginia St Closed Red Rock Road to White Lake Parkway.
395 @ Peppermint Dr Fire crossed The fire jumped US 395 here in the North Valleys. Treat the corridor as hazardous.
Reno-Tahoe Intl Open Fully operational. Check your airline for schedule changes.
Reno-Stead GA closed Closed to general aviation so firefighting aircraft can operate.

Per This Is Reno, 2News, and KOLO reporting, Aug 23. Road status changes by the hour; the live authority is nvroads.com.

Power and gas

About 10,000 NV Energy customers remained without power Sunday, down from a peak above 60,000 Saturday evening, and about 250 gas customers were shut off, per KOLO reporting Sunday. Live counts move constantly; use the NV Energy outage map rather than any static number, including ours.

Smoke and Health

Smoke and safety

For most of the Truckee Meadows the hazard is not flame, it is smoke. Fine particles reach far beyond the evacuation zones and hit children, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with heart or lung disease first. The points below summarize standard EPA and CDC wildfire smoke guidance; current local readings belong to AirNow.gov, and a live Reno-Sparks number is on our pending list below until we can cite one properly.

  • Stay inside with windows and doors closed. Run AC on recirculate. A HEPA purifier, or a box fan with a MERV 13 filter strapped to it, can keep one room clean; live in that room.
  • If you must be outside, an N95 or P100 worn snugly with both straps helps. Cloth and surgical masks do not filter wildfire smoke in any meaningful way.
  • Do not add particles indoors: no candles, no frying, no vacuuming without a HEPA filter.
  • Keep rescue medications close if you have asthma, COPD, or heart disease, and treat chest pain or real shortness of breath as an emergency.
  • Check on neighbors, especially anyone elderly, alone, or without a car. A knock on a door is worth more than anything on this page.

The Record

Update log

Newest first. Each entry states its date, and each entry links to the original reporting it draws on; source links open in a new tab. This log is updated as reporting allows; it is not a live feed.

  1. Personnel roughly doubled to about 800. 2News body text puts the fire at 10,500 plus acres as of 5:55 p.m. while its own headline says 15,000; Fox5 Vegas and ABC News reported 13,000 at midday. Containment still 0 percent. No repopulations or downgrades announced.

    SOURCES: 2News / Fox5 Vegas / ABC News

  2. Officials confirm the fire was human caused; specifics not released. Six injuries reported: three civilians, three first responders, no fatalities. Nevada National Guard CH-47 and UH-60 flying drops with airtankers and at least two other helicopters; 60 Guard ground troops on neighborhood security. Power outages down to about 10,000 customers.

    SOURCES: Fox5 Vegas / KOLO / 2News

  3. This Is Reno counts 19 road closure points. US 395 northbound closed Parr Boulevard to Bordertown; southbound ramps between Stead Boulevard and Reno open for evacuation only; North Virginia Street closed Red Rock Road to White Lake Parkway. Evacuation zones cover roughly 90,000 people.

    SOURCES: This Is Reno / Newsweek

  4. More than 450 people shelter overnight at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Hall 4; Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center reaches capacity. About 1,000 homes threatened. Peak power outages top 60,000 customers.

    SOURCES: 2News / KOLO

  5. Wind-driven runs push the fire across US 395 at Peppermint Drive and into Sierra County, California, per KOLO. Governor Joe Lombardo declares a state of emergency for Washoe County. Red Flag Warning in effect until 11 p.m.: gusts to 40 mph, humidity to 18 percent.

    SOURCES: ABC News / Newsweek / 2News, Red Flag Warning / NWS Reno forecast

  6. Fire reported near Peavine Mountain and Somersett, northwest Reno, under Red Flag conditions. Evacuations begin in the Somersett area and spread through the day.

    SOURCES: 2News / 2News, Red Flag Warning

Homeowner Desk

If you own a home here

This is the part of the page that will still matter in six months. It is educational information about how homeowner insurance works in Nevada, drawn from state regulators, the Legislature, and named reporting. None of it is legal advice, and it does not create any attorney client relationship; your policy language and your insurer's instructions control your situation.

Read this first / effective January 1, 2026

Wildfire coverage can now legally be removed from a standard Nevada homeowners policy

Nevada's AB376, effective January 1, 2026, allows insurers to exclude wildfire peril from a standard homeowners policy and offer it as a separate product, or not at all. Nevada has no FAIR Plan, no state backstop for people who cannot buy coverage; AB437, the bill that would have created one, died in the 2025 session.

Nevada Current reported that the law lacks robust notification requirements, which means a homeowner may not realize wildfire coverage was removed at renewal. As of roughly seven months after the effective date, no carrier had opted to carve wildfire out, per The Nevada Independent. The protection still exists for most people. The point is that it is no longer guaranteed by default.

What to do: pull your declarations page tonight and confirm wildfire is still a covered peril. If anything in the wording is unclear, put the question to your agent in writing.

The market was already pulling out of Washoe County

The Hawk Fire is hitting the county that Nevada's insurance retreat has hit hardest. The numbers below are The Nevada Independent's, against roughly one million homeowner policies statewide.

Wildfire-related cancellations and declined applications, Nevada
YearCanceled / non-renewedApplications declined
2022264~2,400
2023481 up 82 percent~5,000
2024~2,700 statewide13,600
Average Nevada homeowners premium (Insurify via Las Vegas Review-Journal, Aug 12, 2026)
YearPremiumNote
2023$1,407A 22.3 percent rise since 2023. Nevada Current (Oct 13, 2025) separately reports rates up 21 percent since 2018.
2025$1,672
2026$1,720 projected

Washoe County alone accounted for more than 1,600 of the roughly 2,700 cancellations in 2024, over 60 percent of the statewide total, and more than 6,000 of the 13,600 declined applications. Eight of the top ten Nevada ZIP codes for cancellations and declinations are in Washoe County, per The Nevada Independent. If your policy survives this fire season intact, treat your renewal notice as a document worth reading line by line.

Deadlines your insurer must meet in Nevada

Claim handling deadlines under Nevada Administrative Code
The insurer mustWithinCitation
Acknowledge your claim20 working daysNAC 686A.665(1)
Respond to your communications10 working daysNAC 686A.665(3)
Accept or deny, after receiving proof of loss30 working daysNAC 686A.675(1)
Send a letter explaining why more time is needed, if the investigation is incomplete at 30 daysat 30 daysNAC 686A.675(3)

Unfair claims settlement practices are governed by NRS 686A.310. These citations come via United Policyholders' Nevada consumer rights guide; verify current text at the Nevada Legislature's site before relying on them.

Two coverages people confuse

  • Civil authority / prohibited use pays when your home is undamaged but an evacuation order bars you from it. It is typically shorter and more limited.
  • Additional Living Expenses (ALE) applies when your home has actual damage and runs longer while it is uninhabitable.
  • Limits and durations vary by policy and we will not guess at them. Read your declarations page, and ask your agent, in writing, which coverage applies to your situation.

Smoke damage is damage

  • Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, told The Nevada Independent (Aug 12, 2026) that smoke from burned cars, garages, and businesses can carry substances that are not safe to live around, and that insurers have historically been slow to address it adequately.
  • If your home stands but smells of smoke, document it like damage: photos, video, dates, and any professional testing, before cleanup.

What the Nevada Division of Insurance says to do now

Guidance the Division issued August 12, 2026, condensed:

  • Review your policy now, before you need it.
  • If you evacuate, take a copy of the policy and your agent's contact information with you.
  • Make a narrated video walk-through of your home and belongings; separately document high-value or rare items.
  • Photograph everything before debris removal.
  • Safety comes before documentation, always.

The Division also urged insurers to be flexible on premium payments during displacement. That is an urging, not a binding moratorium: nothing currently forces a carrier to hold your policy open if payments lapse, so if you cannot pay, call the carrier and the Division rather than going silent.

Keep a daily claim journal from day one. Date, time, name, and the substance of every call with every adjuster or contractor, and put anything that matters in writing, email counts. Six months from now that notebook will be the most valuable document you own.

If the claim goes wrong

  • 1. Re-read your policy, then raise the problem with your agent or adjuster in writing.
  • 2. Escalate to a supervisor at the carrier, still in writing.
  • 3. File a complaint with the Nevada Division of Insurance: free, at doi.nv.gov, consumer hotline 888-872-3234, or by mail at 1818 East College Parkway, Suite 103, Carson City, NV 89706.
  • 4. If it still is not resolved, consider a licensed public adjuster or a Nevada attorney of your choosing.

Why this keeps happening here

Per Nevada Current: 18.5 percent of Nevada's land area has burned in the past four decades, fifth highest share in the nation, and homes in Nevada's wildland-urban interface grew 208 percent between 1990 and 2020, the fastest rate in the country. Locally, the 2020 Pinehaven Fire destroyed 5 Reno homes and damaged 12 with more than 1,300 evacuated, and the 2024 Davis Fire burned 5,800 acres in Washoe, destroyed 14 structures, and forced 20,000 evacuations. The Hawk Fire is not an anomaly. Plan like it will not be the last one.

Unconfirmed

Not yet confirmed

Numbers we will not publish until we can source them properly, and where to get each one live in the meantime.

Live air quality index, Reno and Sparks Pending
AQI swings block by block and hour by hour during a fire; a stale number is worse than none. Live readings: AirNow.gov, or the fire and smoke map linked from it.
Official structure damage count Pending
Structures have burned, but damage assessment teams have not released a count and rumor is not a source. Watch Washoe County briefings and county channels for the first official tally.
Live NV Energy outage numbers Pending
Our figures (about 10,000 out, peak above 60,000) are Sunday snapshots from reporting. The live count is the NV Energy outage map.
Cause investigation: lead agency Pending
Officials say the fire was human caused but have not named the lead investigating agency or released specifics. Expect this at an official briefing; we will attribute it when it lands.

Authorities

Official sources. Use these first.

These are the channels that issue the actual orders, maps, and alerts. Everything on this page is secondary to them. In an immediate emergency, call 911.