Air Quality & Wildfire News — August 24, 2026

The fire outside Reno that we mentioned yesterday got significantly worse overnight. Here's where it stands this morning, along with a look at how federal wildfire policy is shifting and a quieter story out of Spokane.

Hawk Fire grows to more than 15,000 acres with no containment

The Hawk Fire, which started Saturday in the Peavine Peak area of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest northwest of Reno, grew by roughly 4,500 acres on Sunday to about 15,040 acres — more than 23 square miles — as the New York Post reports. It was still at zero containment Sunday evening.

Crews described "extreme fire behavior" as gusts pushed flames through dry brush, and the fire at one point jumped over fire trucks, making it hard to reach hot spots, according to NBC News. Six people have been injured — three civilians and three first responders — and Reno Fire Chief David Cochran told CNN none of the injuries were life-threatening. Officials say the fire was human-caused, but the cause is still under investigation and there is no indication it was set intentionally, CNN reported. An undetermined number of buildings have burned.

Around 90,000 people urged to leave as Nevada declares an emergency

About 42,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders, with another 45,000 in adjacent warning zones — roughly 90,000 people urged to go, as USA TODAY reports. The "GO NOW" zone had expanded to the edge of the University of Nevada, which said its campus remained outside both evacuation and "Get Ready" zones and stayed open. At least two medical centers evacuated patients.

Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency for Washoe County and activated the Nevada National Guard. More than 800 firefighters are on the fire, along with hundreds of law enforcement personnel, and Washoe County canceled Monday classes to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. Officials asked people to be ready to stay away for several days, since shifting, strengthening winds were expected to make the fire more unpredictable. Much of the West is in drought right now, and Washoe County was rated abnormally dry to moderate drought as of Aug. 18.

If you live downwind of a fire like this without being anywhere near the evacuation zone, closing windows and running an air filter is a reasonable, low-effort precaution while smoke is heavy.

Federal firefighting is being reorganized around "full suppression"

This season's fires arrived as the Trump administration reshaped how the federal government fights wildfire, consolidating fire crews from across federal agencies into a single force and pushing to fully suppress every fire, as the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The administration argues an aggressive approach is essential.

Critics counter that the changes could stretch already scarce resources thin during a deadly season, and that suppressing every fire may leave forests more vulnerable over the long run — a version of a debate that has run through Western fire policy for decades.

Tri-Cities donations arrive for Spokane fire families

A trailer of donated clothing, shoes, socks and underwear made the drive from Kennewick to Spokane last week for families who lost everything in the Spokane Complex fires, as the Spokesman-Review reports. The goods were collected at a community pancake breakfast and donation drive organized days after the fires began, then delivered to Teen & Kid Closet, a Spokane nonprofit.

"We've watched in complete heartbreak as our friends in Spokane have been affected by the fire," said Heather Beus, who helped publicize the drive. "You're our people, you're our neighbors, you're our friends."

Sources

• Nevada Hawk Fire explodes in size as it surges towards Reno, devours over 15K acres — New York Post
• Fast-moving wildfire amid shifting winds threatens Reno, Nevada, forcing thousands to evacuate — NBC News
• Human-caused wildfire near Reno, Nevada, prompts state of emergency as 90,000 urged to flee — CNN via KRDO
• Wildfire near Reno, Nevada, forces tens of thousands to flee homes — USA TODAY
• How the Trump admin's wildfire policies are changing firefighting in the West — Salt Lake Tribune
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from Tri-Cities loads up hundreds of donations for Spokane's Teen & Kid Closet for wildfire relief — Spokane Spokesman-Review

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.