Fire crews gain ground on destructive blaze raging near Reno, Nevada

Firefighters logged major gains on Monday against a wind-driven blaze that threatened the city of Reno, Nevada, over the weekend, destroying dozens of houses and chasing tens of thousands of people from their homes.



As of Monday, fire crews had managed to carve containment lines around 27% of the Hawk Fire, which erupted on Saturday near Nevada's third-most-populous city and raced through tinder-dry grass, brush and forest into residential areas.



Within 48 hours, the blaze had scorched more than 15,000 acres on the outskirts of Reno, a hub of high-tech industry, gambling and outdoor resorts in the eastern foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range near the California border.



It was the second major wildfire to strike Nevada's Truckee River valley area in recent weeks.



No fatalities have been reported, but four civilians and three emergency personnel suffered minor burns in the initial hours of the blaze on Saturday, authorities said.