Reno Wildfire Forces 42,000 to Evacuate as Nevada Governor Declares Emergency
- A fast-moving wildfire on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada, forced tens of thousands of residents to leave their homes on Saturday
- Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and deployed the National Guard to support response efforts
- The fire burned around 10,500 acres by Sunday evening and remained 0% contained, with six people injured including three firefighters
PAY ATTENTION: Find it fast with our new search feature at Legit.ng!
A wildfire burning on the edge of Reno, Nevada, has prompted mass evacuations, with roughly 42,000 residents ordered to leave their homes immediately and a further 45,000 placed on standby to do the same.
The fire was first reported at 11:15 local time (18:15 GMT) on Saturday and has since been confirmed by local officials to have been caused by humans.
Source: Getty Images
According to BBC, by August 23, it had scorched approximately 10,500 acres and remained completely uncontained.
Six people have been injured since the fire broke out, among them three emergency responders directly involved in fighting the blaze.
Officials said unpredictable wind conditions had made the fire difficult to control and were a significant factor in its rapid spread.
Governor declares state of emergency
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County and called in the National Guard to assist both firefighting crews and law enforcement on the ground.
"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.
Around 13,700 homes fall within the evacuation zone. Local emergency services have set up two shelters to accommodate displaced residents who have nowhere else to go.
Schools closed, roads blocked
All Washoe County schools will remain shut on Monday, with the exception of one. Widespread road closures are also in effect across parts of the area as emergency vehicles move through affected zones.
Reno sits in western Nevada, close to the border with California, and is home to around 280,000 people. The scale of the evacuation orders reflects how close the fire has come to a heavily populated urban centre.
Source: Getty Images
2 dead, 500 evacuated as twin fires break out
Legit.ng earlier reported that two people have died and more than 500 residents have been forced to flee by sea after two separate fires broke out within minutes of each other on Salamina, a Greek island located just west of Athens.
Fire official Vasilios Vathrakoyannis confirmed that the first blaze ignited at around 14:40 local time (11:40 GMT) in Peristeria, a southern part of the island where residential buildings sit alongside forested land. A second fire followed roughly 20 minutes later in the eastern town of Selinia.
Source: Legit.ng
