US Northwest battles wildfires after Spokane neighborhoods scorched
Wildfires supercharged by drought and intense heat tore through the northwestern U.S. city of Spokane, forcing the evacuation of 65,000 people and reducing hundreds of buildings to cinders as firefighters raced Monday to contain the flames.
Over the weekend, a series of wildfires broke out in the northwestern U.S. city of Spokane, causing evacuation of around 65,000 residents and destruction of hundreds of buildings. Three fires merged to burn 8,026 acres, with no reported injuries. Cooler temperatures and higher humidity aided the efforts of firefighters, who made significant progress against two of the fires.
However, a warming trend is expected to resume midweek, raising temperatures to the mid- to high 90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) and humidity to the lower teens, potentially increasing the fire risk. Authorities are still seeking contact with 14 unaccounted individuals and assessing damage block by block, estimating the recovery process could take weeks.
The governor declared a state of emergency, requesting federal assistance for search and rescue, debris removal, medical supplies, temporary sheltering, and emergency power. This year's fire season is described as extraordinary due to drought, heat, and high winds exacerbating record-setting wildfires.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- Spokane wildfires: Map, smoke tracking tools, and latest update as 3 fires devastate eastern Washington fastcompany.com
- US northwest battles wildfires after Spokane neighborhoods scorched lemonde.fr
- US northwest wildfires force 65,000 to flee as hundreds of buildings burn in Spokane france24.com
- Videos show devastating Spokane, Washington, wildfires that forced thousands to evacuate cbsnews.com
- Wildfires in US' Spokane burn 600 structures, force evacuation of 60,000 people: ‘We are not out of danger’ livemint.com
- Authorities arrest arson suspect in connection with wildfires in Spokane npr.org
- US northwest battles wildfires after Spokane neighbourhoods scorched freemalaysiatoday.com
- Wildfires raze neighborhoods in northwest US city of Spokane channelnewsasia.com
