Wildfires in Spokane force evacuations of 60,000 and destroy 600 structures
Wildfires across eastern Washington have burned thousands of acres, prompting the evacuation of 60,000 residents near Spokane and destroying about 600 homes and businesses.
Wildfires that erupted in eastern Washington over the weekend have forced the evacuation of roughly 60,000 people in the Spokane area and have destroyed an estimated 600 homes, businesses and other structures, officials said Sunday. The blaze around Spokane, the state's second-largest city, consumed about 21 square kilometres (8 square miles) and is one of dozens of fires burning across the western United States, stretching the capacity of federal, state and local responders. Statewide, approximately 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles) have burned, and several of the incidents, including those near Spokane, remain uncontained.
Fire and law-enforcement officials reported no injuries or missing persons at the time, though they emphasized that response efforts are still in early stages. Video footage from the area showed buildings ablaze, thick black smoke over neighborhoods and the charred remains of homes with only chimneys standing.
"We are not out of danger. The next couple of days will be challenging," Senator Maria Cantwell said at a news conference with federal, state and local officials in Spokane.
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fires. Similar firefighting operations continue elsewhere: crews using bulldozers and helicopters have been battling a grassland fire that has burned nearly 1,360 square kilometres (525 square miles) in western Idaho and eastern Oregon, threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures. In central Utah, a blaze expanded from about 41 square kilometres (16 square miles) to 145 square kilometres (56 square miles) over the weekend, killing more than 100 cattle, according to local law enforcement.