As the fast-moving Hawk Fire spread through the foothills north of Reno, expanding evacuation orders reached the Reno Nevada Temple on Sunday, according to a social media post from Kelly Smith. The Associated Press reported that evacuation orders and warnings affected tens of thousands of residents as the fire moved toward neighborhoods across northern Reno.
Photographs and firsthand accounts shared online placed the temple against a backdrop of smoke and flames as residents fled surrounding communities. Although the social media posts have not been independently verified, they documented how Church members experienced a rapidly changing emergency that continued into Monday.
Flames Spread Across Northern Reno
The Hawk Fire began near the California state line Saturday and moved rapidly through sagebrush and grass around Peavine Peak. The AP reported that hot temperatures, low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds helped drive the flames toward developed neighborhoods.
Barry and Karen Lewis watched smoke rise from the fire around midday as they prepared to evacuate their Lemmon Valley home, according to The New York Times. They left in their recreational vehicle after receiving evacuation alerts, despite having previously believed that their desert surroundings presented fewer wildfire risks.
Crystal Hallock, 53, fled Saturday with her children, grandchildren and pets as the fire approached the home she had rebuilt after a 2018 electrical fire, the AP reported. Her former husband remained behind with a garden hose and attempted to protect the property and her vintage Cadillac as flames melted children’s toys and burned bushes.
Hallock pleaded with him to leave when smoke made it difficult for him to breathe or see, but their telephone call disconnected. “He was saying he can’t breathe, it’s so dark I can’t see, and I’m screaming at him, ‘Leave the car, just leave it,’” she told the AP.
Her former husband called about 30 minutes later and said he had escaped with the car. “I’m truly blessed because I have a place to stay with my animals and my grandkids,” Hallock said. “We were all able to get out safely.”
As residents searched for places to stay Saturday night, Joycelynn Laloulu shared an unverified online message stating that buildings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had opened to people affected by the fire. “Reno the LDS churches have openings,” Laloulu wrote, using a common abbreviation for the Church.
Evacuations Reach the Temple
The fire expanded rapidly Sunday as winds pushed it across the foothills and closer to Reno neighborhoods. The New York Times reported that firefighters expected the flames to reach pockets of dense vegetation as they advanced toward the city.
Richard Burris shared a photograph Sunday showing the Reno Nevada Temple in the foreground with the fire behind it. He also relayed a message from his sister-in-law, Crystal Navarrete, who said authorities had evacuated Stead, Lemmon Valley, Golden Valley and Red Rock.
“If you haven’t heard, we’ve been evacuated again,” Navarrete wrote in the message Burris shared. “All of Peavine is up in flames and boths sides are burning.”
Navarrete said residents could neither enter nor leave the affected communities. Her account provided a personal description of conditions near the temple rather than a verified statement from the Church of Jesus Christ or emergency officials.
Smith later shared an image placing the Reno Nevada Temple within an evacuation zone. He said accompanying photographs showed the fire approximately 30 minutes after it began, when observers still believed the wind would carry the flames in another direction.
The widening restrictions also prevented some Church members from returning home after Sunday worship services. Denton Berkeley wrote in a social media post that his son’s family could not reach their home after “serving all day at church Sunday.”
Berkeley reported that 30 mph gusts and extremely dry air had helped the fire grow to approximately 16,000 acres without containment by Sunday evening. The AP reported that evacuation orders and warnings affected more than 90,000 residents at the height of the weekend emergency.
Evacuees Wait for News Monday
By Monday, many displaced residents still did not know whether their homes had survived. The AP reported that Jon Hanbury waited at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center after flames approached his house and thick smoke obscured his neighborhood.
Ruby Delatorre returned from a concert to find her home inside an evacuation zone and later walked back to collect a few possessions, according to the AP. “I literally want to cry and go back for all my stuff,” she said. “I just got what I thought I needed.”
Marcus Butler evacuated his Lemmon Valley home Saturday and spent two nights at a hotel in Sparks, The New York Times reported. He went to the convention center Monday morning to ask whether he could sleep in his car in the parking lot because his home remained inside a restricted area.
The convention center served as an evacuation shelter and distributed donated clothing to people who had fled without enough clothes or other essentials, according to the AP. Washoe County schools closed Monday to accommodate the evacuations and keep roads open for emergency crews.
Nevada’s governor declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the National Guard, the AP reported. Guard members supported aerial firefighting operations and joined law enforcement officers in protecting evacuated neighborhoods northwest of downtown Reno.
Some residents expressed frustration when roadblocks prevented them from returning to their properties. Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam acknowledged their concerns but warned that conditions remained dangerous: “It just takes that little breeze and one ember.”
Firefighters Begin Containing the Blaze
More than 750 personnel joined the response, including firefighters from at least 15 states, Australia and New Zealand, according to The New York Times. Local police and National Guard members assisted with evacuations and neighborhood security while firefighters reinforced suppression lines.
Crews largely stopped the fire’s advance along its southern edge by Monday, though the western portion remained difficult to control. City officials told The New York Times that less-extreme fire behavior in some areas allowed firefighters to hold established lines and reposition resources.
Containment reached 27% Monday afternoon as the fire held at approximately 23 square miles without additional growth, according to the AP. “We are making progress,” U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Matt Zumstein said.
Officials reduced the number of residents under evacuation orders and warnings to approximately 63,000 Monday afternoon. The New York Times reported that about 23,000 people remained under evacuation orders while another 40,000 needed to remain prepared to leave.
Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve urged residents to wait for official clearance before returning to evacuated neighborhoods. “We end up putting others’ lives at risk, because they got to go in and help you,” she told The New York Times. “So when we ask you to do it, we’re also asking you to help save other lives.”
In a public social media statement, the Reno Police Department said officers worked through the night to evacuate hundreds of people alongside other first responders. The department advised people in yellow zones to pack important documents, medications and other necessities, while residents in red zones needed to prepare to leave immediately.
Reno police also instructed residents not to return until authorities declared their neighborhoods safe. The New York Times reported that officials separately warned people against flying drones over the fire or entering recently burned areas because those actions endangered firefighters and ground crews.
Damage Assessments Reveal the Fire’s Toll
By Monday afternoon, the fire had burned more than 15,000 acres, according to The New York Times. The AP reported that assessment teams had confirmed at least 32 destroyed homes and six damaged homes, with additional surveys of burned neighborhoods still underway.
Seven people suffered injuries, including three first responders and four civilians. Fire officials told the AP that human activity caused the fire, though investigators had not determined whether someone started it intentionally or accidentally.
The Hawk Fire became the third large human-caused wildfire in the rugged terrain north of Reno within two weeks, according to the AP. Officials remained concerned that gusts could carry flames through dry brush and into newly developed neighborhoods.
Mayor Schieve said the speed and intensity of the fire had led her to fear the worst as it moved toward northern Reno. “It lit up these areas like nothing I’ve seen before,” she told the AP. “It took your breath away, in the worst way.”
Are you local to the Reno area? Tell us what you’ve experienced during the Hawk Fire in the comments below.
Holly Wallace is a writer and storyteller drawn to meaningful questions and overlooked details. Her work explores Latter-day Saint life and culture through faithful inquiry, inviting readers to pause, consider, and engage more deeply with what matters most.
Is the Temple safe
Yes, the temple was unharmed. Most, if not all, of the building damage happened on the other side of the mountain.