A fast-moving wildfire has spread towards Reno in Nevada, forcing nearly 14,000 homes to evacuate as strong winds fuel the blaze. The Hawk Fire had grown to more than 10,500 acres by early Sunday after spreading from the Sierra foothills towards the centre of Reno.

The evacuation area, marked “GO NOW”, reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus. Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, although pets could not be brought there. Separate locations were designated for small and large animals.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilised the Nevada National Guard. Two helicopter crews were deployed to support aerial firefighting, while 60 troops were assigned to help police protect evacuated neighbourhoods.

About 400 personnel from local, state and federal agencies are working to contain the fire, according to Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue.

“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,” the agency said.

Strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation have been blamed for the fire’s rapid spread.

Tyler Duvall, who had gone camping over the weekend, said the fire had appeared to be a minor concern on Saturday morning. By the following day, his home was inside the evacuation zone and he was unable to return. “The wind really blew it up,” he said, adding that he knew of homes that had burned about a mile from his property.

Nearly 10,000 homes and businesses in Washoe County were without power on Sunday, while parts of US Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed because of the fire.

Casinos in Reno offered discounted hotel rooms to people forced to leave their homes.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve urged residents under evacuation orders to leave immediately.

“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” she said in a statement posted on social media. “Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building. Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze.”

Reno, which has a population of more than 280,000, is surrounded by neighbourhoods in the fire zone.

The University of Nevada’s Reno campus remained just outside the evacuation area on Sunday morning. The university, which had about 24,000 students enrolled in autumn 2025, said it had an emergency response plan in place if conditions worsened.

Reno-Tahoe International Airport was also outside the evacuation zone and commercial flights were operating normally. Reno-Stead Airport was closed to general aviation because of the fire but remained available to firefighting aircraft.

Authorities were also monitoring a county detention facility close to the edge of the evacuation warning area.

“We have those inmates in mind and we are making sure that we have plans in place in case we may have to evacuate the facility,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.

Ted Melden, a retired police officer and firefighter who recently moved to Reno with his wife from South Carolina, said he had experienced several extreme weather events since arriving, including a hailstorm, flash flooding, power outages and another wildfire.

“Just another natural disaster,” he said.

He has not been ordered to leave his home but said he had packed bags in case an evacuation became necessary. “This thing kicked off yesterday, and it just went,” he said. “I’m hoping they’ll get a good handle on it. You just have to roll with the flow and be ready. Always be prepared and have a full tank of gas.”

Earlier this month, three wildfires north of Reno, fuelled by hot, dry and windy conditions, forced more than 13,000 people to leave their homes, according to the Nevada National Guard.