Tens of thousands ordered to evacuate in Nevada as fire threatens Reno

Tens of ⁠thousands of people have been ⁠evacuated this weekend from the ⁠area of Reno, Nevada, and many others were under orders to leave on Sunday as a wildfire reached the outskirts of the state’s third-most-populous city.

About 42,000 residents have been displaced or are under active evacuations with an additional 45,000 ‌in “be prepared to evacuate” status as the Hawk Fire threatened northern Reno, local officials said late on Sunday morning.

Local television footage showed flames approaching roads. In eyewitness video verified by Reuters, smoke from the hills billowed over nearby residential neighbourhoods.

Fire-tracking websites showed evacuation zones extending from the Sierra Nevada hills to the University of Nevada in northwest Reno.

The fire ⁠has burned 5,261 hectares (13,000 acres) so far, officials said at a press conference on Sunday. ‌The fire was human-caused and remains under investigation, they said.

Three civilians and three first responders have been injured, said Shane Akerson, a commander leading ‌fire and rescue operations.

Officials first received reports of a fire off Hawk Meadow Trail ⁠late on Saturday morning, said Richard Edwards, chief of Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District. Firefighters on Saturday worked amid “extreme ‌red flag conditions”, he said.