Arya News - A state of emergency is declared in the US state of Nevada as rampant wildfire spurs evacuations.
A burgeoning wildfire has forced nearly 14,000 homes to be evacuated as it spreads from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains towards Reno in northwest Nevada, growing to more than 4,450 hectares (10,500 acres).
Known as the Hawk Fire, as it began near the Hawk Meadow Trail near Reno, the blaze started on Saturday and matured significantly throughout the day, fuelled by strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation, according to Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue in Reno, a specialised professional fire and rescue agency in Washoe County, Nevada, the United States.
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“The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us, as it’s being driven by the winds,” Richard Edwards, chief of the agency, said in a video posted to social media.
“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement posted on social media late on Saturday night. Structures have “already been burned in this fire, and your life is more important than a building”, she said.
“Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze,” the mayor noted.
The fire zone is high risk, as it is surrounded by homes and residential neighborhoods.
On Sunday morning, the “GO NOW” zone, an emergency evacuation area where an imminent threat is believed to be approaching, reached the edge of the University of Nevada Reno campus, where about 24,000 students were enrolled last fall. University officials have established an emergency response plan should conditions change.
Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said that they could not bring their pets, as small animals and large animals were to be left at two other locations. Casinos in Reno have also offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees.
“Approximately 400 personnel are currently working on the incident, with resources coming together from local, state and federal agencies, including ground crews and air resources”, read a statement by Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilised the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting, sending over two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighbourhoods.
Reno has a population of more than 280,000 residents.
The fire was so mild Saturday morning that it wasn’t “even a concern”, local resident Tyler Duvall told The Associated Press. By the next day, his house was in the evacuation zone, and he could not return.
“The wind really blew it up,” he said, adding that he knows of some homes that burned about a mile (1.6km) from his place.
Commercial flights at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, located just outside the evacuation zone, were unaffected as of Sunday.
Retired police officer and firefighter Ted Melden has seen his share of Mother Nature’s fury since moving to Reno with his wife earlier this month from South Carolina. He has already survived a severe hailstorm and sudden flood, two power losses, and his second local wildfire in just two weeks.
“I’m hoping they’ll get a good handle on it,” Melden told The Associated Press. “You just have to roll with the flow and be ready. Always be prepared and have a full tank of gas.”