Hawk Fire’s first known fatality identified as 83-year-old Reno woman

An 83-year-old resident of Reno, Nevada, has died after sustaining injuries in the Hawk Fire, marking the first known death tied to the destructive wildfire that has burned more than 15,000 acres northwest of the city and destroyed 47 homes.

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Hayde Medina-Valiente was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento after she was injured in the fire and later died at the hospital, Sacramento County Coroner’s Office spokesperson Janna Haynes confirmed to SFGATE in a phone call Friday.

Medina-Valiente’s death comes during a deadly wildfire season across the West. Earlier this month, NPR’s “All Things Considered” reported that at least 10 wildland firefighters had died this summer as large fires burned across Oregon, Washington, Utah and Nevada. 

Medina-Valiente is also the second resident of the greater Reno-Tahoe region to die in connection with wildfire operations this month. Chris Andersen, 64, of Stateline, was killed Aug. 7 in a helicopter crash while supporting crews on the Widemouth 2 Fire in central Utah. Fellow pilot Miles Elliott, 50, of Porterville, California, was also killed in the crash. The coroner’s office confirmed Medina-Valiente’s identity and age but did not determine her cause of death because she died while under hospital care, Haynes said. UC Davis handled the examination.

Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District announced the fatality Thursday after being notified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office. The district said the person had been transferred for medical treatment after being injured in the fire but did not release an identity at the time.

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The Hawk Fire ignited Aug. 22 near a mountain trail northwest of Reno and rapidly spread through the region, at one point forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. As of Thursday, the fire had burned 15,085 acres and was 93% contained.

Damage assessment teams found 47 homes and one commercial structure destroyed, with eight additional homes seriously damaged. Officials had reported four civilian injuries and three firefighter injuries as crews battled the blaze.

The fire was determined to be human-caused, though investigators have not said whether it was started intentionally or accidentally.