Nearly 90,000 people have been ordered to evacuate or prepare to leave their homes as a fast-moving wildfire spreads towards Reno in the US state of Nevada.
About 42,000 residents have been placed under immediate evacuation orders, while another 45,000 have been warned to be ready to leave as the blaze approaches populated areas.
Officials said the fire, which began on Saturday morning, could continue burning for another two days, with no immediate timeline for residents to return home.
The blaze, known as the Hawk Fire, has burned about 15,000 acres (23 square miles), according to the Washoe emergency information centre.
Six people have been injured, including three emergency responders.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and directed the National Guard to assist firefighters and law enforcement agencies.
“This is an active and rapidly evolving situation and I urge everyone in the affected areas to remain vigilant and follow the direction of local officials,” he said.
Local officials said the fire was human-caused and was first reported at about 11:15 local time on Saturday near the Hawk Meadow Trail, west of Reno.
Richard Edwards, chief of the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, said on Monday that the fire “continues to grow” and that no section of its perimeter had been contained.
About 13,700 homes are within the evacuation zone, while two shelters have been established for displaced residents.
Schools across Washoe County were also closed on Monday, apart from one, while several roads were shut.
The fire has been fuelled by strong winds, dry conditions and unpredictable weather, with aircraft and helicopters deployed to drop water and fire retardants.
Lucia Starbuck, a reporter with KUNR Public Radio, described the fire’s growth as dramatic.
“The fire has definitely exploded in size,” she told the BBC.
“It’s burning these dry desert hills with neighbourhoods at the bottom. We know some homes have been burned, we don’t know the exact number yet.”
Resident Justin Davis said the fire destroyed four of his vehicles after spreading towards his home on Peavine Mountain.
He said he used a water truck he had previously purchased to protect his property.
“We turned on the water truck and just started spraying down the things we wanted to save,” he said.
The immediate evacuation zone and the wider warning area do not include central Reno, although they cover several urban communities and part of a major highway.
The Nevada National Guard said 72 personnel, along with a Chinook and a Black Hawk helicopter, had been deployed to support the response.
Reno, which has a population of about 280,000, lies in western Nevada near the California state line.
Wildfires are common across the south-western United States, and scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the likelihood of the hot and dry conditions that allow fires to spread rapidly.
