Officials on Tuesday eased evacuation orders on the east side of US 395 as the Hawk Fire reached 85% containment, letting 9,300 people return home while 5,000 others remained under an evacuation order.
By 4:58 p.m., the fire had burned 15,067 acres and 586 personnel were assigned to the blaze. Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue said the fire destroyed 47 homes and one commercial structure, and damaged eight more homes.
The change marked a major shift for people who had been out of their homes since the fire spread quickly, but it did not mean the threat was gone. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office also downgraded evacuations off Village Parkway in the White Lake area from Evacuate Now to Get Set, and the road closure at North Virginia Street and Village Parkway was scheduled to be lifted.
The fire’s first day set the tone for the response. The Bureau of Land Management said the blaze showed extreme behavior, tearing through six miles of terrain and moving about four miles in a single three-hour window. Officials have not yet said what sparked it, and police said they are still evaluating community tips to determine whether it was accidental or purposeful.
That unanswered question sits beside the progress on the ground. No fatalities had been reported as of Tuesday, but damage assessment teams were still working and officials said the number of destroyed or damaged structures could rise as the reviews are finished.
For now, the clearest measure of the day is simple: some residents were able to go home, others were not, and investigators still do not know who started the fire that forced the split.
