Washoe County Regional Animal Services is waiving fees and helping residents arrange cremation for pets that died in the Hawk Fire.

The agency announced the assistance in a Thursday news release from the Washoe Regional Emergency Information Center, reports KOLO.

Residents can ask the shelter to pick up a small, deceased domestic pet and transport it to the facility, or they can bring the animal in themselves during business hours.

Pets received by Animal Services will go through the agency’s standard communal cremation process at no cost to the owner.

Families who prefer a private cremation can ask the shelter for contact information for local pet cremation providers, and Animal Services can temporarily hold a pet’s remains until a provider of the owner’s choosing arrives for pickup.

We’ve followed the Hawk Fire closely since it broke out on August 22, from the early evacuation scramble for pets to the fire’s near-total containment last weekend.

The fire destroyed 47 homes and buildings and forced roughly 87,000 people to leave the area at the height of the evacuations.

Northern Nevada Public Health has separately declared a local public health emergency covering ash and debris left behind at destroyed properties, warning residents to keep children and pets away from those areas entirely.

Officials say the ash can contain chemicals, fuels, and other hazardous materials that pose health risks if disturbed, and they are asking residents not to attempt debris removal on their own while a safe cleanup framework is developed with FEMA.

Washoe County Regional Animal Services can be reached directly for both the cremation assistance program and general questions about pets affected by the fire.

Residents are also reminded that the agency does not pick up owned deceased pets under normal, non-emergency circumstances, so this waiver applies specifically to losses tied to the Hawk Fire.