Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes over the weekend as three separate fires broke out in the city and surrounding areas in eastern Washington state.
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The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of “extremely critical, fire-prone weather conditions” in the region due to strong winds and severe drought.
Videos taken on Sunday show homes burned to the ground, leaving only brick fireplaces and foundations, as well as other nearby homes that were almost unharmed.
City Mayor Lisa Brown said at a press conference on Sunday: “Hundreds of homes and structures have been lost. We are still assessing the possible number of casualties.”
“To the people currently suffering losses or uncertainty in our region (…), we express our deepest sympathy. We will be with you for a long time,” she said.
Fire services reported late Sunday that the fires were still not under control.
Although more favorable weather and light winds are forecast for Monday, temperatures are expected to rise again later this week.
The regional air quality agency in turn warned about smoke accumulating over the city.
Sheriff John Nowels said there have been no reports of deaths or injuries so far, but “the situation could change.”
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Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, who declared a state of emergency in the state, said the state has been suffering from drought for the fourth consecutive year, and climate change is creating conditions favorable to destructive forest fires.
He said at a press conference that he had spoken with federal officials, including President Donald Trump, about obtaining resources to respond to the disaster, and added that the president understands “how terrible the situation is.”
Fire officials warned that unauthorized drone flights over the restricted airspace of the fire zones are forcing the suspension of helicopter and other aircraft operations.
“An extraordinary wildfire season”
David Upthegrove, head of the Washington Department of Natural Resources, warned that the Spokane fire is “one of 15 large fires currently raging across Washington state.”
“This is an extraordinary wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest. This is not a normal season,” he said.
“The coincidence of weather conditions and fires across the West is depleting our resources and posing challenges to the people involved in this response,” he said.
According to the government evacuation map data, authorities have issued the highest level evacuation warning “Leave Now” for large areas of northern Spokane, where thousands of people live.
CNN reported that as of Sunday morning, the three fires had burned a total of 2,100 hectares.
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Emergency services have set up an evacuation center at the Spokane Convention Center.
