LOS ANGELES, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as a fast-growing wildfire spread rapidly early Sunday toward Reno, a city in northwestern Nevada near the Nevada-California border.
The Hawk Fire, which began Saturday, has grown to more than 10,500 acres (about 42.5 square kilometers) by Sunday morning and remained completely uncontained, according to InciWeb, a U.S. interagency all-risk incident information management system.
Officials said that extreme fire behavior has been observed, with wind-driven fire making significant runs through light, flashy fuels.
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."
The governor warned again Sunday morning on social media that the fire is still "a rapidly evolving situation." "Stay vigilant and keep yourself informed if you are in the affected areas," the governor said.
