Western Wildfires

Crews have started to contain a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills that destroyed more than 30 homes as it spread perilously close to neighborhoods in Reno, Nevada. Containment reached 27% and there was no new growth of the blaze, which has held steady at about 23 square miles since Sunday. Officials said Monday afternoon that the number of residents under evacuation orders and warnings was reduced to about 63,000, down from more than 90,000 people over the weekend. There’s still concern that winds could push the flames through dry brush into newly developed and densely packed neighborhoods in Nevada’s largest city outside of metro Las Vegas.

Evacuations are being ordered in rural Texas where a wildfire has quickly expanded to cover more than 78 square miles. The fire that began early Monday afternoon in a lightly populated area in north central Texas has ripped through the area. Schools are canceling classes and shelters have opened for residents and livestock. Wildfires have been popping up across the South and western U.S. in recent days as extremely dry conditions persist. The National Interagency Fire Center says a dozen new large fires were reported on Sunday alone. In Nevada, firefighters are making progress slowing down a wildfire that forced tens of thousands to evacuate in Reno over the weekend. Many are still out of their homes.