Crews Make Progress Against Nevada Wildfire

Crews have started to contain a wildfire in the Sierra Nevada foothills near Reno, Nevada, that destroyed more than 30 homes as it spread perilously close to dense neighborhoods, officials said Monday. Containment reached 27%, and there was no new growth of the Hawk Fire, which has held steady at about 23 square miles since Sunday, authorities said at an afternoon news briefing, the AP reports. "We are making progress," said US Forest Service District Ranger Matt Zumstein.

The number of residents under evacuation orders and warnings was reduced to about 63,000, down from more than 90,000 people when the blaze mushroomed over the weekend. Still, there's concern that gusts could push the flames through dry brush into newly developed neighborhoods in Nevada's second-largest city. Firefighters are contending with erratic winds, high temperatures, and low humidity. At least 32 homes have burned, and six are damaged, but authorities said those numbers are sure to rise as assessment teams begin to survey the charred areas.