On September 7, 2024, at approximately 2:30 p.m., a wildfire broke out in Davis Creek Regional Park, located in Washoe Valley south of Reno, Nevada. As of yesterday, officials estimated the fire had burned 14,000 acres (5,596 hectares), leading to 12,000 to 14,000 evacuations and school closures in the Washoe Valley.

Parts of southern Reno remained under evacuation orders through Monday. Power outages in the area have left some homes, businesses and traffic lights without power.

Nevada officials warned in a video posted Tuesday to X (formerly Twitter) that residents of west Reno should be prepared to evacuate, as a change in fire status on Wednesday was expected to create an especially “dangerous situation” that would be “one step above a red flag warning.”

Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District and the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest are jointly managing the fire. Collaborating agencies include Reno Fire Department, Sparks Fire Department, Carson City Fire Department, CAL FIRE, East Fork Fire Protection District, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, the Bureau of Land Management, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, NV Energy and the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Climate change is thought to be leading to more frequent, more intense and longer lasting heat waves and also contributing to an increase in wildfires in the West.

Earlier this year, Nevada-based ambulance service REMSA Health unveiled a new air ambulance helicopter.