Governor Joe Lombardo Mobilizes Nevada National Guard to Support Washoe County Wildfire Defense

CARSON CITY, NV — Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo issued a formal Declaration of Emergency and mobilized the Nevada Army National Guard to assist unified inter-agency firefighting commands battling the fast-moving Hawk Fire in northwest Washoe County.

Deploying Aerial Assets and Emergency Operations

The gubernatorial emergency activation deploys two National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped with 660-gallon water buckets to support frontline structural defense operations across Somersett and north Reno subdivisions. The emergency declaration authorizes the Nevada Division of Emergency Management to draw from the State Disaster Relief Account to reimburse local county evacuation and shelter operations for over 14,000 displaced residents.

Governor Lombardo commended first responders for preventing structural losses amidst extreme wind gusts and urged residents in evacuation warning zones to heed sheriff departure notices.

Regional Coordination and Shelter Support

The American Red Cross and Washoe County Emergency Management established 24-hour evacuation intake shelters at local high school gymnasiums.

Federal emergency management officials approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) to reimburse 75% of state firefighting costs.

Containment Operations Timeline

Inter-agency crews are constructing direct bulldozer containment lines along western ridge lines to halt fire advancement.