By Hanna Park and Martin Goillandeau

(CNN) — A fast-growing brush fire forced residents of northwestern Reno from their homes Saturday night and prompted Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo to declare a state of emergency in Washoe County.

The Hawk Fire ballooned to cover more than 10,500 acres by late Saturday, with no containment reported, according to state fire officials. Its cause remains undetermined.

The fire could be seen rapidly advancing on a downwards slope toward illuminated neighborhoods of Reno late Saturday, time-lapse video showed.

“This is an active and rapidly evolving situation, and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant,” Lombardo wrote on X. He urged those who were asked to evacuate to do so immediately.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said “structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building,” in a message posted by the City of Reno on X.

The blaze grew rapidly on Saturday, driven by gusty winds, low humidity and dry brush. Some 400 firefighters have been battling the flames, officials said, but the high winds had complicated efforts to contain them.

Evacuation orders widened at night, reaching the Somersett neighborhood and areas north of the city. Early Saturday evening, residents of about 1,000 homes were instructed by officials to get ready to evacuate, but a fire map shared by authorities showed a number of residential areas were now under “go now” orders.

Ken McNeil, who lives in Somersett, told CNN affiliate KTVN his wife is more than prepared to get them out now. He also commended the efforts of firefighters, who are using airtankers to battle the blaze.

“I think they’re doing a great job. That’s an inaccessible area,” McNeil said. “They’re using a lot of aircraft, and that’s what you have to do to fight this fire.”

Northwest Specialty Hospital, located in the evacuation warning area, has started evacuating patients due to the nearby fire, according to a news release. The hospital is working with emergency responders to close the facility and notifying families of affected patients.

“The safety and well-being of our rehabilitation and behavioral health patients and staff remain the highest priority and we are evacuating out of an abundance of caution,” the hospital said in a statement.

The-CNN-Wire
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