Thousands displaced as wildfire threatens homes in US state of Nevada

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.

By Sunday, nearly 10,000 homes and businesses were without power in the county.

“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.