Wildfires in eastern Washington have forced 60,000 people to evacuate the Spokane area and destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses, and other structures, according to authorities on Sunday.
The fires in and around Spokane, the state's second-largest city, have scorched about 21 square kilometers over the weekend. This is one of dozens of wildfires across the western United States, straining the response capabilities of federal, state, and local agencies.
About 1,000 square kilometers have burned across the state, and several fires, including those in the Spokane area, remain uncontained. Fire and law enforcement officials said there have been no reports of casualties or missing persons, but emphasized that the response is still in its early stages.
Video from the Spokane area showed buildings engulfed in flames, black smoke rising near residential neighborhoods, and homes reduced to chimneys. Some officials expressed concern that the region is expected to continue experiencing dry weather in the coming days.
“We are not out of danger,” Senator Maria Cantwell said at a press conference with federal, state, and local officials in Spokane. “The next few days will be challenging.”
Investigators have yet to determine the cause of the fires.
Spokane is not the only area grappling with fires. Fire crews using bulldozers and helicopters battled a fire that entered its tenth day in a vast grassland of nearly 1,360 square kilometers in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. The area is home to numerous cattle ranches, and authorities said the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.
In central Utah, a large fire more than doubled in size over the weekend, growing from about 41 square kilometers to 145 square kilometers by Sunday morning. According to local police, more than 100 cattle have been killed.
