Randy and Steph Herrera had become accustomed to seeing smoke billow from Peavine Mountain, which separates their mobile home community from the casino town of Reno, Nev., roughly 15 miles south. Brush fires came and went, but only once, about six years ago, did they need to leave their home for a single night. The Hawk fire, which overtook the mountain this weekend, was different. It was “like being in a war zone,” Mr. Herrera, 42, said, describing the smoky, ashy darkness and chaotic exodus from the North Valleys neighborhood.

Mr. Herrera and his wife were among 45,000 people in the Reno area ordered to flee over the weekend as the Hawk Fire burned 15,000 acres and destroyed 32 homes. Their mobile home survived, and the threat appeared to subside. The fire was a wake-up call for communities on the Sierra Front, where wildfires are regular but never so near to becoming a major urban conflagration, like those in Los Angeles last year and Spokane, Wash., this month.

As the West suffers through a deep drought, and climate change increases wildfire footprint, flames are spreading where few imagined. In a state like Nevada, where residents prize individualism, persuading them to get on board can be a challenge. Christina Restaino, director of the education program Living With Fire, said, “Even if you’re thinking about fire, it’s still difficult to imagine it coming into your own backyard until it does.” Her group has since 1997 sounded the alarm about fire risk from the downtown casino corridor to the foothills of the 280,000-resident city.

Many local leaders and homeowners have jumped at the chance to adopt “home hardening” and “defensible space,” but much work remains. The Hawk fire may mark a turning point. Mr. Herrera counted himself among those who always thought about fire, but admitted, “You never really do.” The couple was among roughly 15,000 people still under a mandatory evacuation order on Tuesday, living in a parking lot with their two dogs. Christina Vang, 37, recalled making a dash for her wedding dress and family photos when her neighborhood was placed under an evacuation warning. The Vangs ultimately stayed put, relying on a generator.