At least 600 structures destroyed, 60,000 evacuated as wildfires driven by strong winds and dry weather hit Spokane. Officials warn the danger is not over.
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At least 600 homes, businesses and other structures were destroyed as wildfires tore through Spokane, Washington's second-largest city, over the weekend. About 60,000 people were evacuated, authorities said Sunday.
The fires burned roughly 8.2 square miles (21 square kilometers) in and around Spokane. Statewide, about 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) have burned, and some fires remain uncontained, the Associated Press reported.
Three separate blazes hit the Spokane area: the Old Trails Fire, the Fairview Fire and the Meadowview Fire. Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency Saturday. The National Weather Service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag alert for eastern Washington.
Strong winds and dry weather drove the rapid spread. Benjamin Cossel, public information officer for the federal response team from California called in Saturday night, said wind gusts from 35 mph to 45 mph were expected Sunday afternoon. "We have weather working against us, and we have terrain working against us," he said.
The Spokane River cuts through the city of about 229,000 people. Steep canyons on both sides channel the wind. "They push the fire through the canyons, up, up the slopes, and then outside the slopes and around," Cossel said. "It's very, very hilly, very, very steep slopes, a lot of canyons that create really turbulent, really challenging sort of wind scenarios."
Emergency shelters opened at the Spokane Convention Center and the county fairgrounds. About 400 people stayed at the convention center as of Sunday. Evacuees included patients from the U.S. Veterans Affairs hospital in Spokane.
Fire and law enforcement officials said there had been no reports of injuries or people unaccounted for. They stressed it was early in the response effort. Investigators had not determined how the blazes started.
Power outages affected about 10,000 residents, down from a peak of 30,000, according to Heather Rosenstrater, president and CEO of Avista Corp., the area's electric and natural gas utility. Rosenstrater said Avista needs to repair two transmission lines, so demand for electricity over the next few days could cause additional outages.
Officials warned the danger is not over. "We are not out of danger," U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell said during a news conference with federal, state and local officials in Spokane. "The next couple of days will be challenging."
Spokane County Commissioner Chris Jordan said relatives of his were in an affected area and did not know if their home was still standing. "They're in their car and all they can see is smoke everywhere, and it was incredibly scary for so many people," he said.
Spokane was not the only area struggling. Crews using bulldozers and helicopters continued for a 10th day to fight a fire that has burned nearly 525 square miles (about 1,360 square kilometers) of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. The area is home to cattle ranches. Authorities said the fire threatens more than 600 homes and 800 other structures. Officials said that fire was caused by lightning.
Several larger fires burned in less populated areas northwest of Spokane. One about 80 miles from the city has burned roughly 210 square miles (544 square kilometers). Another in eastern Oregon, about 70 miles to the northwest in the Stinkingwater Mountains, has burned about 336 square miles (870 square kilometers).
"The whole northwest is heavily impacted right now," said Keila Vizcarra, spokesperson for the federal team from California handling the Big Grass Fire in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.
The National Weather Service issued air quality warnings for eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, western and central Idaho and western Montana. Red flag fire warnings covered parts of Utah, Montana and western Nebraska. Extreme heat warnings covered southern Arizona, California and Nevada and northern Montana.
The weather in the region was expected to remain sunny and dry well into the week. Temperatures were forecast to rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday.
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