Hawk Fire Evacuations Expand South Into Somersett Neighborhoods

The Hawk Fire burning in northwest Reno grew to more than 10,500 acres by Saturday night, and Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County as evacuation orders expanded south into the Somersett community.

The evacuation zone, pushed south as of 10 p.m. Saturday, now covers parts of Somersett, including areas north of Somersett Parkway to Robb Drive, and neighborhoods north of West Seventh Street to North McCarran Boulevard, the Washoe County Sheriff's office said. Former "get ready" areas including Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, McQueen High School, Sierra Vista Park and Somersett Golf and Country Club were added to the red "go now" zones.

Officials confirmed structures have been lost in the fire, though the number and types were not immediately available. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve pleaded with residents to follow evacuation orders: "Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building."

The fire, which started about 11:30 a.m. Saturday roughly a mile north of Cold Creek Trail near Somersett, was fueled by strong gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation. About 400 local, state and federal personnel are assigned to the incident, including ground crews and air resources.

All northbound traffic on U.S. Highway 395 is closed beginning at Parr Boulevard; the southbound route remains open for evacuation traffic, with off-ramps closed between Red Rock Road and Parr Boulevard.

An evacuation shelter has been established in Hall 4 of the Reno-Sparks Convention Center at 4590 South Virginia St. Residents can check perimetermap.com for current boundaries and road closures. The University of Nevada, Reno said its campus is not within an evacuation or "get ready" zone but is monitoring the situation.

Reporting by the Reno Gazette-Journal. The New-England Courant verified the evacuation, acreage, and emergency-declaration details against the original report. Read the original reporting: Reno Gazette-Journal on the Hawk Fire.