Washington: Massive wildfires sweeping through eastern Washington have destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, while forcing nearly 60,000 residents to evacuate as three major fires continue to burn around the city of Spokane, officials said.
The fires, burning in and around Washington's second-largest city, scorched around 8.2 square miles over the weekend. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blazes as firefighters battle multiple wildfires across the western United States.
Officials from the fire department and law enforcement said there were no immediate reports of deaths, injuries or missing persons, though they cautioned that assessments were still ongoing. Among those evacuated were patients from a US Veterans Affairs hospital.
US Senator Maria Cantwell warned that the situation remained critical.
"We are not out of danger," she said during a press conference, adding that the coming days would remain challenging for emergency responders.
The three major fires threatening the Spokane region have been identified as the Old Trails Fire, Fairview Fire and Meadowview Fire.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has declared a state of emergency, while the National Weather Service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" Red Flag Warning for eastern Washington due to extreme fire conditions.
Authorities said strong winds and the steep, canyon-filled terrain surrounding the Spokane River have made firefighting operations more difficult and slowed containment efforts.
A temporary shelter has been established at Spokane's main convention centre, where around 400 evacuees are staying. Meanwhile, regional power supplier Avista Corp said approximately 10,000 customers remained without electricity, down from a peak of 30,000 outages.
Elsewhere, another major grassland wildfire covering nearly 525 square miles has been burning for the past ten days across parts of western Idaho and eastern Oregon, threatening ranches and hundreds of additional structures.
Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt, who lost his own home in the Palisades Fire earlier this year, expressed support for residents affected by the Spokane fires.
"Nothing can really prepare you for this devastation, and I wish I could tell you it'll get better, but it won't for a long time," he wrote on X, encouraging residents to prepare evacuation plans and "lean further into God."
The ongoing fires are part of what state officials have described as Washington's worst wildfire season in more than 30 years. So far, 15 major wildfires have burned more than 250,000 acres across the state.