A cluster of fast-moving wildfires has devastated the outskirts of Spokane, Washington state, forcing 65,000 people to flee their homes. More than 700 buildings, mostly residences, have been destroyed as flames spread from surrounding vegetation into residential neighborhoods, posing an unprecedented threat to lives and property.
The blazes have become the top firefighting priority in the US due to their scale and danger to communities. While no deaths have been confirmed, authorities say it will take time to assess the full extent of the damage as search teams begin entering the hardest-hit areas.
Evacuation orders expanded from about 4,000 people on Sunday to 65,000 by Monday, highlighting the speed at which the fires spread into populated areas. Three wildfires erupted on the northern outskirts over the weekend, burning over 8,000 acres (3,237 hectares) and reducing entire neighborhoods to charred rubble.
The scale of the disaster has overwhelmed local resources, prompting one of the largest firefighting operations in the state, with more than 1,000 firefighters deployed. Despite this, the fires remain uncontained, and officials say it could take days to fully assess the destruction.
Authorities initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people after evacuations, though that number has since fallen significantly as families reunited. Emergency shelters have been opened, and residents are urged not to return to evacuated areas or fly drones, which can disrupt aerial firefighting.
Firefighters are taking advantage of a brief period of cooler temperatures and lighter winds, but forecasters warn that hotter, drier, and windier weather is expected to return later this week, raising fears of further spread.
Washington is experiencing one of its worst wildfire seasons in more than three decades, with about 450,000 acres (182,000 hectares) burned so far this summer. Local news outlets report that a 37-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the fire.
Experts say conditions allowing rapid fire spread were already in place, including severe drought, low snowpack, and climate change, which scientists link to increasingly severe wildfire seasons across the western US. The state's congressional delegation awaits President Donald Trump's response to a request for an expedited emergency declaration to deliver federal relief.
Source: www.aljazeera.com