Thousands displaced as wildfire threatens homes in US state of Nevada

A state of emergency is declared in the US state of Nevada as rampant wildfire spurs evacuations.A burgeoning wildfire caused by humans has forced tens of thousands to evacuate as it spreads from the foothills of the Nevada-mountains" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="191755" data-entity-type="location">Sierra Nevada Mountains towards Reno in northwest Nevada, growing to more than 4,450 hectares (10,500 acres). At least six people have been injured.Known as the Hawk Fire, as it began near the Hawk Meadow Trail near Reno, the blaze started on Saturday and matured significantly throughout the day, fuelled by strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation, according to Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue in Reno, a specialised professional fire and rescue agency in Washoe County, Nevada, the United States.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3California tackles multiple wildfires as firefighter workforce faces strainlist 2 of 3El Nino set to be most intense ‘for over a century’: UK forecasterslist 3 of 3Indonesia bolsters troop numbers to combat Borneo wildfiresend of listBy Sunday, nearly 10,000 homes and businesses were without power in the county. Darin Balaam, the Washoe County sheriff, classified the Hawk Fire as human-caused after completing an initial investigation into the origin of the fire.“The Hawk Fire is a very dynamic incident for us, as it’s ‌being ⁠driven by the winds,” Richard Edwards, chief of the Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, said in a video ⁠posted to social media.“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement posted on social media late on Saturday night. Structures have “already been burned in this fire, and your life is more important than a building”, she said.“Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze,” the mayor noted.Officials said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that 42,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate. An additional 45,000 people were in the evacuation warning zone, and encouraged to leave now and be prepared to stay away for several days to clear the roads for first responders.