Wildfire season is changing. Spokane is showing how.

Wildfire season in Spokane, Washington is changing, with the city serving as a prime example of the scale and urgency of the challenge. The Red Cross has established a makeshift emergency shelter in the convention center, housing hundreds of evacuees, from families with babies to elderly residents, amidst thick smoke and flames.

Betsy Robertson, a Red Cross communications director, expressed that this is a new level of destruction and displacement, calling for preparations for seasons like these to worsen. The underlying causes include historically dry winters, extreme droughts, and heat waves, which set the stage for hundreds of wildfires across the Pacific Northwest.

This summer, dozens of large wildfires have broken out, with Oregon recently shattering its annual record for acreage burned. In Spokane, three large fires have destroyed over 700 buildings, displacing at least 65,000 residents. Despite no reported fatalities, the evacuations have been grueling, as residents are stuck in traffic while their homes burn.

The situation is further exacerbated by strong winds, which have carried hot embers for miles, igniting new fires. Experts attribute this to a changing climate, with warmer atmospheres holding more water vapor and causing more intense but infrequent rainfall. A recent study found that the Los Angeles fires exposed 3.3 million people to cancer-causing toxins.

Spokane, with its steep terrain and abundant plant life, is particularly vulnerable, with neighborhoods laid out in cul-de-sacs that slow evacuations. This urban setting, where homes mix with natural areas, is the fastest-growing type of development in the U.S., and research shows these homes are at higher risk of burning down. The combination of a warming planet and urban sprawl in these fire-prone zones underscores the urgent need for serious action against climate change.