Massive Wildfire Hits Nevada... Concerns Grow Over Threat to 'Second Silicon Valley'

[Anchor]

A massive wildfire in Nevada, USA, has left six people injured and forced some 42,000 residents to evacuate. Authorities have declared a state of emergency and are working to contain the fire, but strong gusts of wind are hindering all containment efforts.

Reporter Kim Young-a has the details.

[Reporter]

Dense smoke has engulfed the sky.

Firefighting helicopters continuously drop water, but it is not enough to tame the fierce flames.

The wildfire, which broke out near Hawk Meadow Trail in northwestern Reno, Nevada, on the 22nd local time, spread to cover 13,000 acres in just a day fueled by gusty winds.

So far, a total of six people have been injured, including three residents and three firefighters, while 42,000 residents have been urgently evacuated.

[Evacuated Resident: It felt like something out of a movie. I never dreamed I would see a sight like this in real life. Looking down from the overpass, you could clearly see the top of the flames and the smoke covering the sky.]

With major power transmission facilities damaged, up to 60,000 households temporarily suffered blackouts, and gas supplies remain cut off in some areas.

Nevada authorities have declared a state of emergency for the Reno area, deploying National Guard helicopters and troops to carry out firefighting operations.

However, as the flames rapidly shift directions and spread on gusty winds, containment efforts have made zero progress.

Authorities have issued evacuation warnings for an additional 45,000 residents.

[Richard Edwards / Chief, Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District: Strong winds are expected to pick up again this afternoon, continuing the extremely worsened fire conditions similar to yesterday.]

The fire department stated that the wildfire was caused by human activity rather than a natural ignition.

The specific cause is under investigation, though they added that no signs of intentional arson have been found yet.

Located near the border with California, Reno has a population of around 280,000 and has recently been dubbed the "second Silicon Valley" as a large number of Silicon Valley wealthy individuals, tech industry workers, and startups have relocated there.

[Video Editing: Kim Byung-jik]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.