Wildfires erupted across several Western states over the weekend, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes and stretching the resources of firefighting agencies. In eastern Washington, a cluster of fires near Spokane, the state's second-largest city, prompted the evacuation of approximately 60,000 residents and destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses, and other structures.
The blazes in the Spokane area burned about 8.2 square miles by Sunday. Officials stated there were no immediate reports of injuries or people unaccounted for, though they cautioned that the situation was still developing. The evacuees included patients from the city's U.S. Veterans Affairs hospital.
Video from the affected area showed buildings engulfed in flames and thick smoke billowing over neighborhoods. The remnants of homes, with only chimneys standing, were visible in the aftermath. Officials expressed concern that dry weather conditions are expected to persist, offering little relief in the coming days.
"We are not out of danger," U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said during a news conference with federal, state, and local officials in Spokane. "The next couple of days will be challenging."
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the Spokane-area fires. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency on Saturday, and the National Weather Service issued a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag alert for eastern Washington. High winds in the Spokane area, with gusts reaching 35 to 45 mph, are exacerbating firefighting efforts.
"We have weather working against us, and we have terrain working against us," said Benjamin Cossel, public information officer for the federal response team deployed to the area. He explained that the city's topography, with steep canyons along the Spokane River, creates turbulent wind patterns that can push fires rapidly through neighborhoods.
Authorities established a shelter at Spokane's main convention center, where about 400 people were staying on Sunday. The region's electric and natural gas utility, Avista Corp., reported that about 10,000 customers were without power, a decrease from a peak of 30,000. The utility noted that repairs to transmission lines could lead to further outages as electricity demand fluctuates.
Meanwhile, large fires continued to burn in less populated areas. In western Idaho and eastern Oregon, a fire that has been burning for 10 days has consumed nearly 525 square miles of grassland. This blaze threatens more than 600 homes and 800 other structures. Officials attribute this fire to lightning. Temperatures in this region are forecast to rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit this week.
The National Weather Service issued air quality warnings for parts of eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, western and central Idaho, and western Montana. Red flag fire warnings were in effect for areas of Utah, Montana, and western Nebraska, while extreme heat warnings were issued for southern Arizona, California, and Nevada, and northern Montana.
"The whole northwest is heavily impacted right now," said Keila Vizcarra, spokesperson for the federal team managing the Big Grass Fire in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. Several larger fires also continue to burn northwest of Spokane, including one that has consumed about 210 square miles and another in eastern Oregon's Stinkingwater Mountains that has burned about 336 square miles.