Spokane-area wildfires destroy 640 structures as evacuations widen across Washington state
Fast-moving wildfires in the Spokane area have destroyed 640 structures and forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Fire crews were still battling the
Fast-moving wildfires in the Spokane area have destroyed 640 structures and forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Fire crews were still battling the blazes on August 2 after a day of red-flag weather helped drive the flames through neighborhoods north of Airway Heights, near Five Mile Falls and by Mead.
The fires are being called the Spokane Complex Fire, a cluster that includes the Old Trails Fire, the Fairview Fire and the Autumn Lane Fire. Officials said the Old Trails blaze alone had destroyed 640 structures by Saturday night and into Sunday, with many of the burned homes inside Spokane city limits. No injuries had been reported as of Sunday afternoon, but authorities were still assessing whether lives had been lost.
Homes leveled, neighborhoods changed
Residents returning to parts of Indian Trail found a stark scene. Homes were gone. Foundations remained. Some areas had burned to the ground after the fire jumped the Spokane River and raced into more neighborhoods. The damage spread quickly and left entire blocks stripped to ash.
“The top fire in our nation,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said of the Spokane Complex Fire, as federal crews coordinated the response. Officials said the three blazes had burned 5,390 acres and remained 0% contained.
The Old Trails Fire accounted for 3,509 acres, while the Fairview Fire had burned 981 acres and the Autumn Lane Fire 900 acres, according to the federal incident management team handling operations. The numbers kept moving. So did the fire line.
Mass evacuations under red-flag conditions
Authorities ordered evacuations for many homes across the area as winds and dry air pushed the fires through Saturday. Tens of thousands of people were told to leave, and shelter operations opened for evacuees from the Spokane Complex Fire.
A “particularly dangerous situation” alert had been issued for Saturday, warning of red-flag conditions that helped the fires expand across thousands of acres. The National Weather Service also called for elevated fire weather Sunday, with north-northwest winds up to 35 mph and dry conditions that could feed the flames quickly.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the fires “the worst natural disaster our region has faced” and said the city was still assessing the potential for lives to be lost. “Although the fires are not out yet, the care and the recovery began yesterday and continues today, and will go on as long as it needs to go,” she said at a Sunday news conference.
Firefighters slow the advance, but the threat remains
By Sunday, officials said the fires had moderated significantly, and firefighters had managed to stop the advance before it spread into more neighborhoods. Still, the situation remained active across the region, with crews working around the clock and damage assessments continuing.
The response has drawn wide attention because of the scale and speed of the destruction. For now, the next question is how far the damage goes once crews finish checking the burned areas and the full toll comes into view.
