How the Hawk Fire Exposed Reno’s Unequal Wildfire Defenses: Who Gets Protected
Some neighborhoods get protection, and others don’t. Is it a coincidence that the two best-protected areas are home to Mayor Hillary Schieve and Councilmember Devon Reese?
Michael Leonard
Sep 01, 2026
The Hawk Fire: A City on Fire
The Hawk Fire didn’t just scorch hillsides and destroy homes — it revealed something deeper and more uncomfortable about Reno’s wildfire reality. The flames moved fast, the smoke moved faster, and the truth moved fastest of all:
Reno’s wildfire defenses are not evenly distributed. Some neighborhoods faced the Hawk Fire with firebreaks, fuel‑reduction plans, evacuation drills, and millions in federal mitigation dollars. Others entered with nothing but hope.
The result was predictable — and devastating.
The map of the Hawk Fire shows the full extent, but it was after the fire was being contained. The zones in the upper right, which are the north valleys, were red and burning; the lower left, which is Somersett, never burned.
The Hawk Fire: A Timeline of Chaos
Igniting under severe wind conditions, the Hawk Fire tore northward off Peavine Peak, pushing directly into the North Valleys, where tens of thousands of residents were forced to flee.
More than 45,000 people were under evacuation orders. Entire neighborhoods — Stead, Silver Knolls, Horizon Hills — attempted to evacuate, but were hampered by traffic jams.
Some residents reported receiving no evacuation alert at all. One man tried to flee as flames overtook his trailer, suffering catastrophic burns. Another woman injured in the fire later died.
Manufactured‑home communities, already vulnerable due to construction type and density, saw the highest structural losses.
By the time the fire slowed, dozens of homes were gone, and thousands of lives were disrupted.
One of the estimated 47 houses that burned in North Valleys.
The North Valleys: High Risk, Low Protection
The North Valleys have long been one of Reno’s most wildfire‑exposed regions — but also one of its least protected.
A. Social Vulnerability
The area includes:
lower‑income households
seniors and disabled residents
manufactured‑home parks
limited transportation access
These factors compound wildfire risk.
B. No HOA‑Level Mitigation Plans
Unlike Reno’s wealthier Wildfire Urban Interface (WUI) neighborhoods, the North Valleys have:
no Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP)
no HOA‑driven fuel‑reduction strategy
no major federal mitigation grants
no coordinated evacuation‑planning infrastructure
C. Entrapment Risk
Many North Valleys streets have only one way in and out. During Hawk Fire evacuations, residents described gridlock, confusion, and fear as they spent hours stuck in traffic trying to evacuate.
D. Aftermath
Evacuees returned days later to:
burned homes
smoke‑damaged belongings
reports of burglary
a community shaken by trauma
The Hawk Fire didn’t just burn the North Valleys — it exposed how little protection existed there to begin with.
Somersett: The Best‑Funded Wildfire Defense in Reno
While the North Valleys struggled, Somersett faced the Hawk Fire with one of the strongest wildfire‑mitigation programs in Nevada.
Devon Reese posts on Facebook about how Somersett was protected. Jacob Williams, the Somersett HOA president, was appointed to the Reno Planning Commission with the help of Reese, who worked with Tray Palmer, a Reno Fire Marshal, to get the fire plan done.
A. A $2.34 Million Federal Grant
In 2023, the Somersett Owners Association (SOA) secured a $2.34 million USDA wildfire‑defense grant — one of the largest HOA‑level mitigation awards in the state.
The funds support:
new firebreaks
mastication and thinning across hundreds of acres
biomass removal
evacuation‑plan development
community wildfire‑readiness education
B. The Joint Fire Fuels Mitigation Task Force
Somersett built a multi‑agency task force including:
Nevada Division of Forestry
Reno Fire Department
Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District
Somersett Golf & Country Club
SOA leadership
This is the kind of coordinated structure usually seen in municipal wildfire planning — not HOAs.
Devon Reese’s $1.7 million, 5,700-foot house in Somerset.
C. Firewise Culture
Somersett participates in Firewise programs, conducts evacuation drills, and regularly communicates wildfire‑preparedness guidance.
D. Political Support
Councilmember Devon Reese, who lives in Somersett, has publicly championed the neighborhood’s mitigation work, working with Reno Fire Marshall Tray Palmer to get it done.
Reese also supported Jacob Williams, SOA Board President, for appointment to the Reno Planning Commission — giving Somersett a direct voice in land‑use decisions.
Somersett is not just prepared. It is politically reinforced.
What if the Mayor Ran Reno Like They Run Their Household? One Candidate Already Does.
This article explains Reese's lifestyle in his lavish $1.7 million, 5,700-square-foot home in Somersett that he bought right after landing the city council job.
Caughlin Ranch: The Most Formal Wildfire Plan in the City
If Somersett is the best‑funded wildfire‑defense neighborhood, Caughlin Ranch is the most formally planned. Caughlin Ranch is part of the Pinehaven Fuels Reduction Project.
A. The Caughlin Ranch CWPP
In 2026, the HOA commissioned a full Community Wildfire Protection Plan, authored by NFPA‑certified specialist Tray Palmer.
The CWPP is signed by:
Reno Fire Department
Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District
Nevada Division of Forestry
This level of agency endorsement is rare for an HOA.
B. Fire History
Caughlin Ranch has experienced two major fires:
2011 Caughlin Fire — 28 homes destroyed
2020 Pinehaven Fire — 5 homes destroyed
Both ignited from power‑line arcing during extreme winds.
C. Pinehaven Fuels Reduction Project
In 2026, the City of Reno accepted a $392,306 FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant for fuel reduction in Pinehaven — with a $98,076 City match.
This project directly supports the CWPP’s recommendations.
This is an excerpt from the city staff report discussing allocation of grant funds for Caughlin Ranch, where Mayor Schieve lives.
D. Political Geography
Like Somersett, Caughlin Ranch benefits from both technical planning and political visibility. Mayor Hillary Schieve lives in Caughlin Ranch.
The Disparity: Who Gets Protected — and Why
The Hawk Fire made one thing clear: Reno’s wildfire defenses are strongest where political influence and HOA resources are strongest.
Funding
Somersett → $2.34M federal grant
Caughlin Ranch → $392K FEMA grant
North Valleys → minimal grant activity
Planning
Somersett → Task Force + Firewise + drills
Caughlin Ranch → CWPP + multi‑agency sign‑off
North Valleys → no HOA‑level plan
Political Geography
Reese → Somersett
Schieve → Caughlin Ranch
North Valleys → no comparable representation
Outcome
Somersett & Caughlin Ranch → mitigation before fire
North Valleys → mitigation after destruction
This is not accidental. It is structural.
The Hawk Fire burns across Peavine Peak, heading toward the North Valleys, which have no protection, unlike Somerset and Caughlin Ranch, the neighborhoods of Reese and Schieve.
What the Hawk Fire Means for Reno’s Future
Wildfire is now a permanent feature of Reno’s landscape. USDA data show that Reno homes face a 97–98% higher wildfire risk than the national average.
The Hawk Fire raises urgent questions:
Should Reno require CWPPs for all WUI neighborhoods?
Should federal grants prioritize high‑vulnerability communities?
Should evacuation alert systems be rebuilt from the ground up?
Should wildfire mitigation be treated as a citywide infrastructure responsibility — not an HOA luxury?
Reno is at a crossroads. The next fire will come. The only question is whether the city will correct the disparity before it does.
Reno’s two special people, Hillary Schieve and Devon Reese, at an event.
Conclusion — A Warning Written in Smoke
The Hawk Fire was not just a wildfire. It was a warning.
A warning that some neighborhoods burn more because they are protected less. A warning that political geography shapes fire outcomes as much as wind and fuel.
A warning that Reno must decide whether wildfire resilience is a public good or a private privilege.
If the city chooses the former, it can become a fire‑adapted community. If it chooses the latter, it will remain a city defined by recurring catastrophe.
The flames have drawn the lines. Now Reno must decide where it stands.
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