Three major wildfires burning near Spokane, Washington, have forced thousands of people to evacuate. The Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane fires have scorched over 7,700 acres with 0% containment as of August 2.
State of Emergency Declared
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and burn ban on August 1. Multiple areas of Spokane are under a Level 3 evacuation order, the highest level in the state. About 5,000 homes have been evacuated, according to the Associated Press.
No deaths related to the fires have been reported as of August 2. The fires near Spokane are one of five “major complex fires” in the state, with the biggest being the Kaiser Canyon Fire in the northeastern part of the state, which is approximately 134,000 acres.
Wildfires this summer have been a problem in other parts of the Pacific Northwest. Nearly 34,000 lightning strikes last month led to a series of fires and evacuation orders in the southern part of British Columbia.
Original reporting: Las Cruces Sun News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
