RENO, Nev. -- Firefighters worked to hold the line Friday on a fast-moving brush fire that tore through the Reno area, destroying at least 20 houses and forcing thousands of residents to flee.
The blaze started shortly after noon Thursday and, fueled by wind gusts reaching 82 mph, mushroomed to more than 6 square miles in size before firefighters stopped its surge toward Reno. The fire is holding steady at about 3,700 acres and was 50 percent contained, spokesman Mark Regan of the Sierra Fire Protection District said Friday.