10,000 evacuated as brush fire burns toward Reno (AP) - Wind gusts of up to 82 mph pushed a fast-moving brush fire near Reno out of control Thursday as a wall of flames burned several homes, threatened dozens more and forced about 10,000 people to evacuate their neighborhoods. Reno Fire Chief Michael Hernandez said more than 230 firefighters were battling the blaze, which had grown to nearly 5 square miles within hours and was eerily similar to another unusual winter fire that destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno two months ago. "Several" homes had been destroyed before nightfall Thursday, Hernandez said. A Reno television station reported at least 10 homes had burned since the fire of unknown origin broke out shortly after noon along U.S. Highway 395. The winds died down after nightfall and rain started falling, much to the delight of fire crews. About 300 students were evacuated from Pleasant Valley Elementary School, and deputies went door to door asking people to leave their homes in Pleasant Valley, Old Washoe Valley and Saint James Village, Avina said. Erika Minnberry, 28, said she didn't become concerned at first because smoke from the fire appeared far enough away. "Probably 30 minutes later, it was up to our house because of the high winds," she said. I felt pure survival adrenaline. When we drove away, the smoke was so thick, we could barely see ahead of us. Now I feel anxiety. I couldn't find my two cats at the time and I hope they're OK. He estimated firefighters had saved about 1,000 structures and said another 80 to 120 firefighters were expected to arrive to help before midnight. Hernandez said the fire was "almost a carbon copy" of a huge wild fire on the edge of the Sierra foothills that destroyed 30 homes in southwest Reno in November. It burned about 3 square miles and also forced the evacuation of 10,000 people. As with the November fire, which was sparked by downed power lines, strong winds and dry conditions helped fuel the latest blaze, Hernandez said. The Reno area had gone a winter-record 56 days without any precipitation until light snow fell earlier this week. "There's a lot of dry trees," Avina said. We're battling with Mother Nature and these winds. More wet weather was forecast Friday, and snow was forecast Friday night. But high winds were expected to continue, with gusts up to 40 mph. A gust of 122 mph was recorded Thursday atop Slide Mountain, which is between the fire and Reno at the Mount Rose ski resort. The strong winds caused delays earlier in Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Reno, where he was two hours late to give a speech at Galena High School on the south end of town. Hernandez conducted his 5:15 p.m. briefing at the high school, which was evacuated along with surrounding neighborhoods shortly afterward. About 2,300 home in the area were without power Thursday night. Thomas Young, 48, a freelance writer, said he had just gotten out of the shower at his Pleasant Valley home when the power went out. Draped in only a towel, he looked out a window and saw his barn on fire and flames up to his backyard. "Right away the flames went up a power line, and I said, `We have to get out of here,'" Young said. We put two dogs and two kids in the car and drove away about three minutes later. Unfortunately, I think my house is burned down from what I saw. The American Red Cross opened an evacuation center at Damonte High School. The State Patrol said the highway would remain closed through the night.