A major wildfire complex near Spokane, Washington has prompted the evacuation of approximately 60,000 residents, with authorities reporting 600 destroyed structures and over 5,000 acres burned as of Sunday.
Authorities in Washington state have ordered the evacuation of around 60,000 people as wildfires continue to threaten the Spokane region, according to local officials. The Spokane Area Fire, which encompasses three separate blazes, has destroyed at least 600 buildings including residential homes and commercial properties. As of Sunday afternoon, the fires had charred 5,390 acres across the affected region, with federal incident management teams monitoring the spread.
Speaking to Reuters, Spokane Fire Chief Tom Williams indicated that containment efforts were still underway and the fires remained uncontained at the time of reporting. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown characterised the disaster as "the worst natural disaster our region has faced." Despite the scale of destruction, officials reported no injuries or deaths as of Sunday's afternoon news conference.
The wildfires have caused widespread disruption to essential services, with approximately 10,000 electricity customers losing power, according to Avista Utilities CEO Heather Rosentrader. State-wide, more than 250,000 acres are currently burning across Washington. In response to the crisis, Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and contacted U.S. President Donald Trump to request assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
