Reno Wildfires 2026: Bug Fire and Fred Mountain Fire Evacuations
UPDATE (Aug 14): the Fred Mountain Fire has merged into the larger Bug Fire, now 88,422 acres and 31% contained. Nine homes have been destroyed in the Red Rock area, and Washoe County sheriffs arrested Christine Mitchell, 47, on a third-degree arson charge for intentionally starting the Fred Mountain Fire. About 13,000 residents have evacuated; the Cold Springs evacuation order has been lifted as containment improved, while a separate, unrelated blaze, the Stallion Fire, burns nearby at 44% contained. Governor Joe Lombardo's state of emergency runs through August 17. Sources: KOLO 8, MyNews4, 2News, This Is Reno, 8NewsNow.
The context
A week after it started, the Bug Fire has grown into one of the largest wildfires the Reno area has seen in years. It ignited around 4:08pm on August 8 east of US Route 395 near the California-Nevada border, spanning parts of Lassen County, California, and Washoe County, Nevada, and by the evening of August 13 it covered 88,422 acres and was 31% contained, up from roughly 15,000-17,000 acres and single-digit containment just three days earlier.
The Fred Mountain Fire, a second blaze that broke out on August 9 off Red Rock Road northeast of the Bug Fire, is no longer a separate incident: it merged into the Bug Fire on August 11. Washoe County sheriffs arrested Christine Mitchell, 47, on a third-degree arson charge after she admitted to intentionally starting it, reportedly flagging down responding crews herself shortly after. Nine homes have been destroyed, primarily in the Red Rock area, according to Truckee Meadows Fire officials. A third, unrelated blaze, the Stallion Fire, is also burning in the region and stands at more than 20,000 acres and 44% contained, well ahead of the Bug Fire.
At the peak of the fires, roughly 13,000 Reno-area residents evacuated. The Cold Springs evacuation order has since been lifted as containment improved there, while orders and warnings remain active or have expanded elsewhere along the fire’s edges in Washoe County and neighboring Plumas County, California. The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony told tribal residents of Hungry Valley to evacuate immediately when the fires broke out, and eight Washoe County schools closed. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo’s state of emergency, declared August 10, remains in effect through August 17.
The Evelyn Mount Community Center in Reno continues to serve as the main evacuation center, with Washoe County Human Services and the American Red Cross Nevada providing support, including space for evacuated pets and livestock. Over 530 personnel, backed by air tankers and water-dropping helicopters, are assigned to the Bug Fire alone. Sources: KOLO 8, MyNews4, 2News, This Is Reno, 8NewsNow, KTNV, Emergency Washoe.