Disasters & Incidents
Spokane wildfires force 65,000 to evacuate
Wildfires in the Spokane area of Washington state forced up to 65,000 people to evacuate and destroyed between 700 and 1,110 structures, authorities said, as firefighters worked Monday to contain the flames.
Three fires had burned 8,026 acres in the area, according to InciWeb, a federal interagency information system. Firefighters used cooler temperatures, higher humidity and thick smoke to make “significant gains” against two of the fires.
Local officials said no injuries had been reported so far. Authorities were trying to contact 14 people they had not been able to reach by cell phone, but Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said they were not yet presumed missing.
“I think the estimate is potentially up to 65,000 people we had to move out of these areas,” Nowels said. He said getting people out of active fire zones within several hours was “pretty incredible.”
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said authorities were checking the city block by block for damage and possible reignition, and could not yet tell residents when they could return. “It could be weeks, depending on where your home and property is,” she said.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said the fires were “likely the worst natural disaster in Spokane's history.” He said he was awaiting federal approval for assistance including search and rescue, debris removal, medical supplies, temporary shelter and emergency power.
Ferguson declared a state of emergency on August 1, citing drought conditions over four consecutive years, unusually high temperatures and high winds. Cooler weather was expected Monday and Tuesday, but hotter conditions were forecast to return midweek, with temperatures reaching the mid- to high 90s Fahrenheit and relative humidity in the lower teens.
David Upthegrove, head of Washington's Department of Natural Resources, said the Spokane fires were among 16 major blazes burning across Washington state, covering 262,000 acres. “This is an extraordinary fire season,” he said.
Fire officials warned that unauthorized drones in restricted airspace above wildfires were forcing helicopters and other firefighting aircraft to be grounded.
An outage map from local utility Avista showed 6,445 customers without power because of the fires early Monday. The biggest of the three Spokane fires, the Old Trails fire, jumped the Spokane River on Saturday afternoon and crossed into the city.
Update
Authorities said evacuations in the Spokane area reached up to 65,000 people.
Aerial flybys found between 700 and 1,110 structures had been lost.
InciWeb said three fires had burned 8,026 acres in the Spokane area.
Authorities were trying to contact 14 people who had not been reached by cell phone but were not presumed missing.
Washington officials said 16 major fires were burning statewide, covering 262,000 acres.
Avista showed 6,445 customers without power because of the fires early Monday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 August 2026 at 19:04:37 UTC.
Update
InciWeb said three Spokane-area fires had burned 7,708 acres and were not contained.
InciWeb said about 600 structures had been damaged or destroyed.
Federal data showed Spokane air quality was unhealthy on Monday, with very unhealthy conditions forecast later in the day.
Local utility Avista showed more than 7,300 customers without power early Monday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 August 2026 at 15:22:32 UTC.
Update
Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall said about 60,000 people within Spokane city limits had been evacuated under the highest-level “Go Now” alert.
Local utility Avista showed more than 7,700 customers without power because of the fires as of early Monday.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 August 2026 at 09:57:20 UTC.
Update
Smoke over Spokane was expected to make air quality very unhealthy on Monday, the regional clean air agency said.
Fire officials warned that unauthorized drones over wildfire areas were forcing firefighting aircraft to be grounded.
Light winds were forecast for Monday, but temperatures were expected to rise again later in the week.
Source note: AFP news report published on 3 August 2026 at 07:17:44 UTC.
Update
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said hundreds of homes and other structures had been lost.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said no deaths or injuries had been reported so far, while warning that could change.
Officials said the fires were still zero percent contained on Sunday despite improved wind conditions.
Washington natural resources chief David Upthegrove said the Spokane fire was one of 15 major fires burning in the state.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 23:42:06 UTC.
Update
KXLY quoted officials as estimating that 600 structures were destroyed or damaged in the Spokane fires.
Authorities had not said whether anyone was killed or hurt.
The item adds witness and local media descriptions of extensive neighbourhood damage.
It says Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 17:36:12 UTC.
Update
Three fires were burning in and near Spokane, the item said.
CNN reported that the three fires had burned a total of 5,390 acres as of Sunday morning.
Homes were destroyed in Spokane, with video showing houses engulfed by flames or reduced to ash.
Thousands of Washington state residents lost power because of the fires.
Officials said they were bracing for further damage assessments after sunrise.
The Washington National Guard said it was rapidly mobilising units to assist Spokane.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 15:02:12 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The structure-loss figure is a range based on aerial flybys and may change as damage assessments continue.
Authorities had not yet determined when all evacuated residents could return.
Fourteen people had not been reached by cell phone, but officials said they were not presumed missing.
Source
AFP news report published on .