Washington state fires destroy hundreds of structures and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate
Officials said the fires remain uncontained as federal resources, National Guard troops and crews from outside Washington join the response.
- On Sunday, evacuation orders forced around 60,000 residents from their homes as three wildfires, collectively called the Spokane Area Fire, burned roughly 5,390 acres in Spokane, Washington.
- The National Weather Service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" alert as blazes flared up Saturday afternoon, fueled by high winds that Spokane County fire districts had prepared for by escalating readiness.
- Spokane Fire Chief Tom Williams reported that the blazes destroyed about 600 buildings and caused widespread power disruptions, leaving about 10,000 customers without electricity.
- Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and requested federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown calling it the area's worst natural disaster.
- Sen. Maria Cantwell said Washington is receiving priority federal resources because the Autumn Lane Fire is the nation's highest-priority blaze, with crews from more than a dozen states and Australia joining containment efforts.
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The Daily AdvanceJust weeks before devastating wildfires hit, Spokane practiced a mass evacuation – the drill paid off
Police create evacuation corridors to quickly move vehicles out of a neighborhood threatened by a wildfire on Aug. 1, 2026. AP Photo/Young KwakWhen a wildfire is headed your way, evacuating may sound straightforward: Gather your belongings, get in the car and leave. In reality, it is one of the most complex decisions a person can face. Fast-moving fires, shifting winds, heavy smoke and limited escape routes can quickly turn an orderly evacuation…
Wildfire season is changing. Spokane is showing how.
Betsy Robertson was standing in the center of the Spokane Convention Center on Monday afternoon, but she wasn’t there for a gala or a conference. Instead, the event space in the middle of Washington state’s second-largest city had been transformed into a Red Cross emergency shelter as a trio of wildfires, just a few miles away, burned down entire neighborhoods. Nurses and volunteers were moving between the rows of cots around Robertson, making s…
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