Daijiworld Media Network - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, Aug 24: At least six people were injured and around 42,000 were ordered to evacuate as the fast-growing Hawk Fire spread rapidly towards Reno in northwestern Nevada near the Nevada-California border, authorities said.
The wildfire, which began on Saturday, had burned more than 13,000 acres (about 53 square kilometres) by Sunday and remained completely uncontained, fire officials said at a news conference, reports Xinhua news agency.
The injured included three civilians and three first responders, while another 45,000 people were placed under evacuation warnings.
Officials also confirmed that several structures had been destroyed in the blaze.
Around 10,000 customers were without power in Washoe County on Sunday. Reno is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County.
Fire officials said extreme fire behaviour had been observed, with strong winds driving the blaze through light, highly flammable vegetation and allowing it to make significant runs.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County on Saturday night.
“This is an active and rapidly evolving situation, and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant and follow the direction of local officials,” Lombardo said in a statement.
“The state is fully engaged, and we are working alongside local authorities and first responders to deploy every available resource to protect lives, safeguard communities, and keep Nevadans out of harm's way,” he added.
Lombardo again warned residents on Sunday morning through social media that the fire remained a “rapidly evolving situation”.
“Stay vigilant and keep yourself informed if you are in the affected areas,” the governor said.
The latest wildfire comes after a major blaze in Southern California in July that rapidly expanded to nearly 2,700 acres (about 10.9 square kilometres), forcing evacuations amid a dangerous heatwave.
The blaze, named the Summit Fire, was reported at around 1 p.m. on Friday local time in Llano, a small community near the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county line.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire had not been contained as of Saturday morning.