Nevada Wildfire Leaves Path of Destruction With Dozens of Homes Destroyed

The ongoing Hawk Fire has destroyed at least 32 homes since the blaze began on the outskirts of Reno, NV, on Saturday, leaving dozens of residents wondering what comes next.

Ricardo Arrate is one of them.

Arrate, 68, had lived on Peavine Mountain in northwest Reno for more than 20 years. When the fire came, he left with only his dogs and the clothes on his back, and watched as his home was reduced to smoldering ash.

Because of his home's remote and exposed location, Arrate, like many Reno residents, didn't have fire insurance. Earlier this year, Nevada became the first state to allow insurers to remove wildfire coverage from standard homeowners insurance policies.

To help offset the cost of building a new home, Arrate's granddaughter, Jaida Hargrove, started a GoFundMe fundraiser for him. It's received nearly $25,000 so far.

On Monday, Arrate took to Instagram with a message.

"I’ve had a lot of people reach out and ask me what they could do for me today. I’m in my daughter’s house. She has everything. So right at this moment, I am not lacking," he said. "But this is not my home. So if you ask what I want today, I want a set of building plans for a small house, and I want to borrow a backhoe, so I can get back on my mountain and start doing work."

Because so many homeowners went without fire insurance, they've appealed to GoFundMe for support.

Tye Erwin, 49, is a local firefighter and the current battalion chief in the Bridgeport Ranger District. Erwin lived due east of Peavine Mountain and watched his Mohawk Lane house burn to the ground.

A GoFundMe fundraiser started by his friend Quentin Booth said Erwin "has dedicated his career to protecting people, communities, forests, and the places we call home. He has spent countless days and nights away from his own family, working long hours in extreme conditions, running toward danger when most people are running away from it."

His neighbors, Cari and Andrew Kieffer and their four kids, are also seeking aid through GoFundMe, as are dozens of others.

This isn't the first time some residents have been scarred by fire.

Crystal Hallock, 53, was forced to rebuild her home in 2019 after an electrical fire destroyed it. This week, she and her children and grandchildren, again watched as their home was engulfed by flames. They're now staying at a niece's apartment.

Hallock fled while her ex-husband attempted to save her vintage Cadillac. After a tense half-hour, he called her to let her know he'd made it off the property with her car.

"I'm truly blessed because I have a place to stay with my animals and my grandkids. We were all able to get out safely,” she told the Associated Press.

The rapidly growing Hawk Fire has consumed more than 15,000 acres thus far, and as of Tuesday, was only 27% contained. Earlier this week, more than 42,000 people were evacuated, with an additional 45,000 residents placed under evacuation warning.

Officials have yet to identify the fire's origin, but said they believed it was caused by humans. And while the fire has appeared to die down, local authorities are urging residents to stay away, warning that the high, dry winds could cause a blaze to spark up again at any time.

“It just takes that little breeze and one ember,” said Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam.

This has been a record year for wildfires in the U.S., with more than 51,000 reported, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, and more than 7.8 million acres burned.