Active
Hawk Fire, Reno Nevada
We will continue to update this page as response and relief efforts emerge. Follow Burners Without Borders on Facebook and Instagram for timely updates as this response develops. We’ll share verified needs, volunteer opportunities, donation information, and other ways to help as soon as they are confirmed.
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Footprint Project – Hawk Fire Response Update
Footprint Project
Mon, Aug 24, 1:59 PM (18 hours ago)
Greetings friends and disaster response partners,
Our team is actively monitoring the uncontained Hawk Fire in Reno, NV. In response, Footprint Project is currently:
–Assessing the situation and our internal capacity to respond at scale
–Intaking availability of deployable renewable response tech
–Shipping a pallet of Energy Relief Kits from our warehouse in New Orleans to partners in Reno
–Fundraising for disaster operations (technical assistance, emergency coordination and logistics, reporting, and risk mitigation)
HOW TO HELP:
OFFER DEPLOYABLE TECH
If you have or know of partners with renewable response technologies (solar, water, shelter) that are ready to use and could be rapidly mobilized for the affected areas, please fill out our Equipment Registration Form. https://footprintproject.jotform.com/250085788982069
FUND OUR RESPONSE
Supporting communities in crisis requires resources. If you’d like to support our response operation, donate here. https://secure.givelively.org/…/sustainable-power-for…
For major gifts and program investments, please contact give@footprintproject.org.
IN-KIND DONATIONS
Here is a list of accepted Emergency Donations for assembling new sustainable response technology kits. Please email response@footprintproject.org if you or someone you know would like to donate these components.
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8/24/2026
The Hawk Fire is impacting our neighbors across Reno and Washoe County at a moment when many thousands of Burning Man participants are beginning their journey through Northern Nevada.
Tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate or prepare to do so, homes and other structures have already been lost, and firefighters and communities across the region are responding to another major wildfire.
If you are traveling through Reno on your way to Black Rock City, please remember: we are guests in communities responding to an active disaster.
And Reno is not the only community carrying the impacts of fire right now.
Just a little farther along the route to Black Rock City, our neighbors in Nixon and across the Pyramid Lake Paiute Reservation are still recovering from the recent Stallion Fire, which burned close to their communities and brought evacuations and emergency response to the area. If you’d like to support see efforts around the Stallion Fire here.
From Reno to Pyramid Lake to Gerlach, please travel through this entire corridor with extra care and consideration.
One of the most immediate ways incoming participants can help is simply by reducing our footprint on Reno right now.
If you are holding a Reno-area hotel room that you don’t truly need, consider canceling it.
Thousands of local residents have been displaced, and lodging is an important resource for evacuees, their families, and emergency personnel.
Where possible, arrive in the region already provisioned. Fuel up and purchase food, water, and other supplies before reaching impacted communities. Avoid evacuation areas and unnecessary travel through affected neighborhoods. Respect road closures, speed limits, fire restrictions, Tribal lands, and the people who live along the route year-round.
For anyone traveling through fire country, we also strongly recommend downloading Watch Duty, the nonprofit wildfire app founded by a longtime Burner. It provides real-time wildfire information, evacuation updates, fire perimeters, and alerts.
And please remember: an app is a supplement to — not a replacement for — official evacuation orders and emergency instructions.
If you want to help, please don’t self-deploy into affected areas. Support established local organizations and respond to verified requests for volunteers, supplies, or donations. Burners Without Borders is following the situation and will share opportunities to support our Northern Nevada neighbors as needs become clearer.
Reno, Nixon, Pyramid Lake, Gerlach, and the communities of Northern Nevada are not simply gateways to Black Rock City.
They are our neighbors.
This is a moment to put our principles into practice.
Travel carefully. Take less- Gift More. Pay attention. And leave space for the people who call this place home..
From Burning Man Project
Our thoughts are with everyone who has been displaced or is preparing to evacuate from the fires in Northern Nevada, including the Hawk Fire, and we are deeply grateful to the firefighters, emergency personnel and public safety officials responding across the region.
Burning Man Project is a proud member of the Northern Nevada community. As staff and participants begin traveling to Black Rock City, we recognize our responsibility to stay informed, follow the direction of local authorities, and avoid interfering with emergency response. If you are traveling through the Reno-Sparks area:
Treat our neighbors, first responders, hospitality workers and everyone affected by this emergency with patience and care.
Support the Reno-Sparks businesses that have long welcomed members of the Burning Man community, while remaining mindful that some local resources are serving displaced residents.
Keep an eye on the news and plan your travel accordingly — some roads, like Highway 395, have been temporarily closed, and conditions may change rapidly. Allow for additional travel time.
Follow all evacuation orders and road closures. Do not enter affected areas or use unofficial routes to navigate around closures.
Plan stops and lodging in areas not affected by evacuation activity or closures, and confirm arrangements directly with businesses before arriving.
For information about the fire and evacuation zones, check Watch Duty here:
For information about road conditions in Nevada, check NV 511:
And for information about road conditions in California, check Caltrans:
If you are inclined to help, check out the Northern Nevada Wildfire Relief Fund and this Burners Without Borders page related to smart travel and being mindful of our neighbors, including the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe:
https://nevadafund.org/…/community-foundation-northern…
https://burnerswithoutborders.org/…/hawk-fire-reno-nevada