Hawk Fire leaves Reno residents facing devastating losses before Burning Man

For the past five years, Lars Mintz, a 27-year-old Reno resident and devoted Burning Man attendee, carried his entire life in a camper van. He had been preparing for weeks to head to Black Rock City again this year when disaster struck on Saturday.

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While Mintz was driving home from his job at a children’s ski area, a neighbor called with devastating news: Peavine Mountain was burning, and so was all of his Burning Man gear and personal belongings. 

The fast-moving Hawk Fire, which ignited in northwest Reno on Saturday and exploded to 15,051 acres with 27% containment as of Monday afternoon, had quickly turned destructive. Mintz said he didn’t realize the danger until it was too late, and his entire life went up in flames. 

“I was like, ‘Ah, it’ll all be OK. The firefighters got it under control.’ Then after it burned, it was kind of a realization of like s—t, it’s gone and it’s time to rebuild now,” Mintz told SFGATE. 

Other Peavine Mountain residents are also facing devastating losses. One man lost a home he’d owned for more than two decades, according to a GoFundMe page, and another family is recovering after the fire tore through their property, leaving them without power or water, according to their GoFundMe page. Approximately 90,000 people have been forced to evacuate the area as the blaze, which fire officials said is “human-caused,” rips through people’s homes and businesses. 

At least 32 homes were destroyed by the fire, and more than 100 power lines were damaged. 

“Both the Reno community and the Burning Man community are heavily affected by this,” Mintz said, adding that countless people have been displaced and have lost property, with “their whole plan just knocked up in the air.” 

Mintz lived in the camper most of the time, he said, and it had most of his personal items inside, including his Burning Man tickets, irreplaceable mementos and his grandmother’s ashes. “It was like a big loss,” he said. “… Basically like most of my life had burned.”

Without Mintz’s knowledge, a friend posted about his camper fire on Facebook on Sunday. Since then, fellow Burners have rallied around him, offering support as he tries to rebuild his life. 

On Monday, Mintz got a call from another Burning Man attendee who had also lost belongings in the Hawk Fire. The attendee, whom Mintz has never met, had extra tickets and offered them to Mintz and his girlfriend. Now, they plan to join forces in Black Rock City and share resources. 

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“We’re all gonna figure it out together,” he said. 

Nearly every Burning Man attendee Mintz has spoken with this year, especially those who live locally, has been affected by the fire in some way, he said. 

“They’re about to leave for a week, but they don’t know if they’re gonna be able to return to their home or to a scorched pile of ashes. So it’s been on a lot of people’s minds, just, ‘How are they going to make this work?’” Mintz said. 

Social media posts from both Burners and residents have expressed concern about the start of the event coinciding with disaster in Reno, where many Burners stop to stock up on supplies before continuing to Black Rock City. Other posts, however, have emphasized that many local businesses rely on the revenue that Burners bring to the area. 

The gates don’t officially open until Aug. 30 at midnight, but plenty of attendees head to the desert early to help build the city and their camps. Some who have already arrived in Reno have been riding motorcycles through the burn area to deliver gas to people stranded on the road, while others are offering their campers to people who have nowhere to go, Mintz said. The sense of community is a hallmark of Burning Man, he said, calling it “wholesome” and unlike anything he has experienced elsewhere. 

“It’s just pretty awesome to see the community even outside of the Burning Man time coming together, and all of us just really making it happen in a time of crisis. There’s so much craziness going on,” Mintz said. “… I see some sort of generosity like this [every year].”

Although the blaze destroyed Mintz’s essentials, art supplies and treasured keepsakes, he said he remains hopeful that the community will continue supporting one another as the Hawk Fire burns ahead of the event, which runs Sunday through Sept. 7.

“The more I look at it and the more that I see that I’m receiving help from the community, it’s kind of like my material world got a lot lighter,” Mintz said. “… It’ll be a rebuilding process.”