Feuer: Waldbrände am Rand der US-Großstadt Spokane – 64.000 auf der Flucht

Severe wildfires near the US city of Spokane have destroyed at least 700 buildings, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, according to authorities in the state of Washington. The fires, which have been burning since Saturday, have consumed over 3,200 hectares of land. By Monday, an estimated 64,000 individuals were under evacuation orders.

Firefighting efforts in the area are being given the highest priority. Spokane, the second largest city in the state with a population of approximately 230,000, is located near the border with Idaho. Benjamin Cossel, a spokesperson for the crisis team, told Reuters that the likelihood of fatalities is high.

Once the flames subside, search teams will enter the destroyed areas. Already, there are reports of missing persons. The fire has spread from forested areas into residential and commercial neighborhoods, according to Cossel. An eyewitness, Kami Fehlig, described how she and her family fled their home with few belongings just before it burned down.

Most of their neighborhood is now "almost completely wiped out." Over 1,000 firefighters are on the scene. They are hoping for a brief window of cooler, less windy weather on Tuesday. However, by the middle of the week, extreme heat, low humidity, and gusty winds are expected. So far, authorities have been unable to contain any of the three fires surrounding Spokane.

The fires in the Pacific Northwest of the US and neighboring Canada are part of an extraordinary wildfire season. According to scientists, the conditions that are favoring the increasing intensity of the fires are a result of human-induced climate change. More: "At 15-meter flames, there is nothing more one can do," says a wildfire expert, as the situation becomes increasingly dire.