Fast-spreading wildfires tore through Spokane, Washington, leaving hundreds of homes and other structures destroyed as flames raced across the northwestern US city.
Thousands of residents were told to leave their homes on Saturday and into Sunday morning after three fires ignited in and around the eastern Washington city.
The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a warning for “extremely critical fire weather conditions”, citing powerful winds and exceptionally dry conditions.
A Virgin Mary statue stands untouched outside a home destroyed by fire in the Balboa neighborhood
Footage filmed Sunday showed row after row of homes reduced to ash, with brick fireplaces and concrete foundations often the only remnants left standing. Yet some properties nearby appeared to have suffered little or no damage.
Spokane Fire Department members work amid the destruction
Mayor Lisa Brown said at a news briefing yesterday afternoon that “hundreds of homes and structures have been lost”, adding that officials were still determining whether anyone had died.
“To the people who are suffering right now in our region from either loss or uncertainty… our hearts go out to you. We are here for you for the long term,” she said.
Winds eased yesterday and conditions became more favorable, but authorities said the fires remained at zero percent containment.
A state of emergency has been declared
Sheriff John Nowels said there had been no confirmed deaths or injuries, while warning that the situation could change as investigators worked through active fire zones and the damage left behind.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, who declared a state of emergency, said the state was facing a fourth straight year of drought, while climate change was helping create conditions favorable to increasingly destructive wildfires.
At a news conference, he said he had contacted federal officials, including US President Donald Trump, to seek additional resources for the response. Trump, he added, understood “how dire the situation is”.
‘Extraordinary wildfire season’
David Upthegrove, head of Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, said the Spokane blaze was “one of 15 major fires burning throughout the state of Washington right now”.
“This is an extraordinary wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest. It’s not a normal season,” he said.
“A confluence of weather conditions, a confluence of fires throughout the West, are stretching our resources and challenging the individuals in this response.”
The largest of Spokane’s three fires, the Old Trails fire, leapt across the Spokane River on Saturday afternoon before pushing into the city itself.
Tena Risley, another resident, said she spotted flames through the trees near her home and fled in a panic after grabbing her dog and a few belongings. As the rapidly advancing fires cut off escape routes, she became trapped in heavy traffic.
“There were probably hundreds and hundreds of cars,” she said.
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