Cooler temperatures expected to aid firefighting efforts in eastern Washington

Light winds and cooler temperatures were forecast Monday, offering firefighters a modest advantage as they confront wildfires that have razed at least 600 structures and prompted the evacuation of about 60,000 residents around Spokane, Washington's second-largest city. The blazes have burned roughly 12.5 square miles and remain 0% contained, according to Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

No major injuries or fatalities have been reported, though authorities continue to search for missing persons. "Initially, we had approximately 290 missing person reports, and at this point we have cleared all except 14," said Cpl. Mark Gregory of the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, adding that the remaining cases may not all be linked to the Spokane Complex Fires.

Sen. Maria Cantwell warned that danger persists, stating, "We are not out of danger. The next couple of days will be challenging."

In Spokane, the city’s main convention center has been converted into a shelter for roughly 400 evacuees, and public schools have opened a free emergency drop-in camp for children. Court proceedings in the county have been postponed to August 10.

The region’s fire activity is part of a broader western U.S. outbreak that has burned about 390 square miles across Washington and continues in neighboring states. In Idaho and Oregon, a fire has scorched nearly 525 square miles of grassland, threatening hundreds of homes and structures, while a separate blaze in central Utah has expanded to about 57 square miles, prompting mandatory evacuations in the town of Fillmore.

The National Weather Service has issued air-quality alerts for the Northwest, red-flag fire warnings for parts of Utah, Montana and western Nebraska, and extreme-heat warnings for the Southwest and northern Montana.