The crisis has passed and the Hawk Fire, which destroyed almost 50 homes and had been threatening the entire city of Reno over the weekend, is now almost fully contained.

The Hawk Fire, which burned over 15,000 acres northwest of Reno, Nevada, is now 87% contained. As ABC 10 reports, 5,000 residents remain under evacuation orders, but around 9,000 residents were able to return home Tuesday and Wednesday after orders were lifted.

47 homes and one commercial building were destroyed in the fire, primarily in subdivisions that sit just north of Highway 395, near the Sierra Sage Golf Course and Silver Lake, west of Lemmon Valley and northwest of Reno. As KOLO reports, multiple homes burned on Peppermint Drive, which runs near 395, and homeowners were returning to assess the damage on Tuesday.

Firefighters pack their truck after responding to a burned building during the Hawk Fire on August 23, 2026 in Reno, Nevada. The wildfire spread from the Sierra foothills towards Reno, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. Officials said the fire was human-caused. (Photo by Trevor Bexon/Getty Images)

Ricardo Arrate, who has lived in the Reno area for 68 years, lost his home of 20 years on a remote road on Peavine Mountain. He told KOLO that firefighters tried to save it, but he ended up caravanning off the mountain with the firefighters, and the flames, behind him.

"It got so bad that the captain said, ‘It’s time to leave.’ So, I got in my truck, and I drove away and I looked in my rearview mirror, and all the firemen were following me. So, I knew if the firemen were evacuating it wasn’t looking good," Arrate told the station.

Ricardo Arrate's home on Peavine Mountain, via GoFundMe

Arrate vowed to rebuild his home, and his granddaughter has launched a GoFundMe to help.

The Hawk Fire, which officials say was human-caused, began around 11:20 am Saturday in the area of the Sierra Front, the eastern slope of the mountain range along the California-Nevada border. Hot, dry conditions led to a fast expansion of the blaze, and at one point Sunday 42,000 residents were under evacuation orders, with tens of thousands more under evacuation warnings.

60,000 power customers were without power at the fire's peak, but that number was down to 6,000 on Tuesday, per the New York Times.

As of Monday, fire activity had calmed and containment efforts came together quickly.

People headed early to Burning Man were being told to change plans and not to occupy hotel rooms in Reno unnecessarily, due to the large number of evacuees needing hotel rooms. But now it will be full steam ahead, with the gates officially open for most Burners on Sunday at 12:01 am.

Previously: 32 Homes Destroyed In Hawk Fire So Far