The fast-moving Hawk Fire swept from the Sierra foothills toward the center of Reno early Sunday, swelling to more than 10,500 acres and prompting evacuation orders for nearly 14,000 homes. The “GO NOW” evacuation zone extended to the edge of the University of Nevada, Reno campus — the state’s flagship university, which enrolls more than 20,000 students.

Washoe County, home to roughly half a million residents across Reno, Sparks, and surrounding communities, opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said residents could not bring their pets to the shelter. Small animals and large animals were to be taken to two other locations instead.

Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support the response. Two helicopter crews were assigned to aerial firefighting, while 60 troops were deployed to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods.

The fire apparently began Saturday and expanded significantly throughout the day, fueled by strong, gusty winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation typical of the region’s fire-prone wildland-urban interface, where brush and grasslands meet residential neighborhoods, according to a statement from Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, which joined the fight from just across the California state line.

“Approximately 400 personnel are currently working on the incident, with resources coming together from local, state and federal agencies, including ground crews and air resources,” the Truckee Meadows statement said. No containment estimate was included in the statement.

The disruption rippled across the region on Sunday. Nearly 10,000 homes and businesses in Washoe County were without power, and portions of U.S. Route 395, a major north-south highway connecting Reno with communities along the eastern Sierra, were closed due to the fire.

“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement posted on social media late Saturday night. “Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building. Evacuating before the fire arrives also allows our firefighters to focus their efforts on battling the blaze.”

Authorities were also keeping watch on a county detention facility situated several blocks from the outer edge of the evacuation warning area.

“We have those inmates in mind and we are making sure that we have plans in place in case we may have to evacuate the facility,” Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said.

The Hawk Fire is the latest in a series of blazes to hit the area. Earlier this month, three wildfires fueled by hot, dry, and windy conditions north of Reno forced more than 13,000 residents from their homes, according to the Nevada National Guard.