Some allowed to return after Hawk Fire destroys homes in Reno area

The blaze has destroyed 47 homes, and containment was at 27% Tuesday, officials said. There have been no deaths, which the fire chief called “incredible” for how fast it moved.

Around 9,000 people have been cleared to return to their Reno, Nevada, area homes Tuesday as firefighters made more progress containing a major, human-caused wildfire that destroyed more than 40 homes, officials said.

Around 5,000 people were still evacuated because of the Hawk Fire, which began Saturday and grew quickly, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said at a news conference.

But by 2 p.m., residents in the areas east of State Route 395 were allowed to return, Balaam said. The west side of the highway was the hardest hit, he said.

The fire has burned 15,067 acres, and it was 27% contained Tuesday afternoon, officials said at a news conference.

No deaths have been reported in the fire, which Richard Edwards, fire chief of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, said was remarkable.