Spokane wildfire: 65,000 evacuated, hundreds of structures destroyed across Washington city
Three wildfires in Spokane, Washington, have burned thousands of acres, destroyed an estimated 700–1,110 buildings and prompted the evacuation of 65,000 residents. Officials say no injuries have been reported, but residents may not return home for weeks.
Wildfires driven by drought and extreme heat have devastated parts of Spokane, a city in the northwestern United States, forcing about 65,000 people to leave their homes and destroying hundreds of structures. According to InciWeb, a federal interagency information system, the three combined fires have scorched 8,026 acres (3,248 hectares) in the Spokane area of Washington state. Authorities estimate that between 700 and 1,110 buildings have been lost since the fires erupted over the weekend.
Firefighters have taken advantage of cooler temperatures, higher humidity and thick smoke to make 'significant gains' against two of the three blazes. Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at a press conference Monday that the evacuation effort involved up to 65,000 people. 'The fact that we were able to get people out of those areas within several hours in an active fire zone is pretty incredible,' he said. Officials are also trying to contact 14 people who have not answered their cell phones, but they are not yet considered missing.
Mayor Lisa Brown said the city is going block by block to assess damage and any potential reignition. She cautioned that residents could not yet know when they might return, adding that it could be weeks depending on the location of their home. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson called the event 'likely the worst natural disaster in Spokane's history.' He had declared a state of emergency on August 1, citing four consecutive years of drought, unusually high temperatures and high winds that have worsened record-setting wildfires.
Climatologists say human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of such events through higher heat, prolonged drought and a 'thirsty' atmosphere that dries out vegetation. Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, noted that the fires follow one of the warmest winters on record for eastern Washington, which led to a severe snow drought. He described a recurring pattern that has continued since the 2010s, pointing to devastating fires in Los Angeles last year, major fires in Spain and France this year, and Hawaii in 2023.
David Upthegrove, head of Washington's Department of Natural Resources, said the Spokane fires are among 16 major blazes burning throughout the state, covering 262,000 acres. He called it an 'extraordinary fire season.' As of early Monday, an outage map from local utility Avista showed over 6,445 customers without power. The largest of the three fires, the Old Trails fire, jumped the Spokane River on Saturday afternoon and entered the city. Resident Tena Risley recounted how she grabbed her dog and a few belongings amid the panic, then got stuck in traffic as fast-moving flames blocked escape routes.
