Eastern Washington fires have burned 600 structures and forced the evacuation of 5,000 homes
About 5,000 homes have been evacuated and about 600 homes, businesses and other buildings have been destroyed by wildfires that remained uncontained Sunday in eastern Washington state, authorities said. The fires burned more than 8.2 square miles (about 21…
Approximately 5,000 homes were evacuated and around 600 structures, including businesses and other buildings, were destroyed by uncontained wildfires in eastern Washington state on Sunday, according to authorities. The fires engulfed over 8.2 square miles (about 21 square kilometers) near the second-largest city in Washington, Spokane.
No fatalities have been reported from the fires in the Spokane area. Despite a forecast of daytime temperatures remaining below 80°F (27°C), wind gusts between 35 mph (56 kph) and 45 mph (72 kph) were expected later in the day, as noted by Benjamin Cossel, public information officer for the federal response team from California.
Cossel emphasized that both weather and terrain were working against the firefighting efforts. The Old Trails Fire, Fairview Fire, and Meadowview Fire were the three wildfires affecting the Spokane area, with Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declaring a state of emergency and the National Weather Service issuing a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag alert for the region.
The Spokane River runs through the city of approximately 229,000 residents, and steep canyons on both sides of the river channel the wind, making the terrain very hilly, steep, and challenging for firefighting operations.
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