Series of wildfires impact Reno community as gaming stakeholders race to help

It’s been a hellish August thus far in northern Nevada, as a series of major wildfires have destroyed structures and forced thousands of evacuations in and around the Reno area over the past two weeks. As firefighters and community organisers race to quell the flames and mitigate their impacts, the city’s gaming industry is working to help as well.

On 8 August, the blaze known as the Bug Fire started in Lassen County, California, north of Reno, and eventually spread to over 90,000 acres. To the east near Pyramid Lake, the so-called Stallion Fire began 10 August and eventually spread to over 40,000 acres. Both fires are now over 95% contained and are believed to be human-caused.

Then on 22 August, a third conflagration dubbed the Hawk Fire sparked in the northwest area of Reno and has quickly grown to over 15,000 acres with no containment as of Monday. The areas affected by the Hawk Fire are more densely populated and about 90,000 residents have been in or around evacuation zones thus far. Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has declared a state of emergency in order to direct more resources toward combatting the fire, which is also believed to be human-caused.

Wildfires have always been a summertime concern in northern Nevada due to the desert climate and abundance of dry brush. Experts have been warning about increased fire risks in the region since the spring, following the state’s warmest winter on record.

“When we lose the snow really early or never develop that deep winter snow pack, things start drying out a whole lot sooner,” Neil Lareau, a wildfire researcher at the University of Nevada, told The Center Square in April. “You start that clock for the fuels drying out way sooner and lengthen your fire season.”

Reno casinos, suppliers offer help

To assist with the influx of evacuees, several Reno-area casinos have offered discounts and room deals. These include Grand Sierra Resort, Nugget Casino Resort, J Resort, and The Row — Caesars’ three downtown properties Eldorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus. Subject to availability, the casinos are offering significantly discounted room rates with no resort fees as Renoites scramble for short-term lodging.

“As the Hawk Fire affects families and neighborhoods throughout our community, we want to make it a little easier for people who need to leave their homes to find a safe and affordable place to stay,” GSR General Manager Cheraz Ecker said in a statement. “We’re also incredibly grateful to the firefighters, first responders and emergency personnel working around the clock to protect our region.”

IGT, which was formerly headquartered in Reno for decades and still operates a large warehouse on the south end of town, said it was donating to relief efforts.

“In an effort to help the Reno community and the IGT employees who live and work there during this treacherous fire season, IGT will be making a contribution to the American Red Cross and encouraging our employees to offer their support as well,” IGT CEO Hector Fernandez said in a statement to iGB.

A spokesperson for the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, another casino in the area, told iGB it was also donating the American Red Cross and “doing what we can to assist where needed” in the community.

“We are grateful to the first responders and volunteers who are working hard to support our community,” the spokesperson said.

Fires could impact record performance

The plethora of fires this month will likely put a damper on what has been a standout year for the Biggest Little City’s tourism and hospitality industry. This month was otherwise poised to be a success thanks to the 40th annual Hot August Nights classic car festival, which ran from 31 July through 9 August, right as the fire scares began.

Reno finished the latest fiscal year with gross gaming revenue of $825.3 million, which was a 7% increase year-over-year according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. That was the best mark among Nevada’s major markets, easily outpacing the Las Vegas Strip (+2%), downtown Las Vegas (+3%) and the Boulder Strip (+3.6%).

Visit Reno Tahoe announced last week that fiscal year 2025-26 produced the highest taxable room revenue in Reno’s history at about $500 million. From January through June this year, new room revenue records were set for each respective month, and visitor counts in January, April and May also set new all-time records.

“This record belongs to the entire Reno Tahoe community,” Mike Larragueta, president and CEO of Visit Reno Tahoe, said in a statement. “Nearly $500 million in taxable room revenue means visitors are staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, supporting local businesses, and experiencing everything this region has to offer. Behind these numbers are thousands of people who work in our hospitality and tourism industry and partners across the region who help make Reno Tahoe a place people want to visit.”