The Hawk Fire broke out about 11:30 a.m. Saturday near Somersett in the foothills of northwest Reno, then surged to 30 to 40 acres in less than 25 minutes. By midday, evacuation orders were in place for areas around Peavine Peak and north of neighborhoods along Somersett Parkway, Avenida de Landa and Las Brisas Boulevard.
Watch Duty said the blaze was spreading rapidly and sending a large plume of smoke east, while Incident Command reported that structures were threatened. The fire started about 1 mile north of Cold Creek Trail, putting it close enough to unsettle residents in a community that sits hard against the slope.
The timing mattered. The National Weather Service had already issued a Red Flag Warning for Saturday across much of northwestern Nevada and parts of northeastern California, with southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph expected through 11 p.m. and gusts up to 40 mph. Humidity was forecast as low as 12%, a combination that can turn a small ignition into a fast-moving fire before crews have much room to work.
That warning covered Washoe, Douglas and Storey counties, western Lyon County and Carson City in Nevada, along with Surprise Valley and eastern and southern Lassen County in California. Residents were told to stay away from anything that could throw a spark near dry vegetation, including yard work, target shooting and campfires, a caution that underscored how ready the landscape already was to burn.
What started the fire had not been confirmed. What was clear by Saturday afternoon was that the Hawk Fire had already outrun the kind of margin firefighters rely on, and the next phase would be measured by whether crews could keep it from moving past the neighborhoods already under orders.
