Wildfires in the Spokane, Washington, region have continued burning, destroying at least 700 structures and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. The three blazes, collectively called the Spokane Complex Fire, have burned 8,026 acres and are zero percent contained, according to a federal incident management team coordinating the response.

Evacuations and Damage

No injuries have been reported in any of the fires. The Spokane Complex Fire includes the Old Trails Fire, which has burned 3,619 acres; the Fairview Fire, which has burned 1,056 acres; and the Autumn Lane Fire, which has consumed 3,351 acres, according to federal incident management.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the fires were caused by “a historic weather event,” as the National Weather Service called for elevated fire weather, including north-northwest winds up to 35 mph and dry conditions that will quickly fuel flames. The Spokane Complex Fire is “the top fire in the nation,” Cantwell said.

Officials said 65,000 people within Spokane city limits have been evacuated as of Monday morning. Spokane County Fire District 3 Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach said 640 structures were destroyed in the Old Trails Fire alone.

Response and Support

Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency Saturday that prohibits most outdoor and agricultural burning. He said that a request for immediate Federal Emergency Management Agency support has been made and that another request for recovery funds was underway.

Fifteen wildfires were burning across the state, consuming 250,000 acres, state Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said. Federal Interagency Incident Management Teams assumed command of the Spokane Complex Fire after federal deployment began Friday.

Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.