Thousands of people under evacuation order from wildfires in Spokane, Wash.
News
Large numbers of residents in the city of Spokane have been told to urgently evacuate their homes due to rapidly moving wildfires in eastern Washington state.
There are three larger and fast-moving fires in and around the city, with the biggest threat coming from the Old Trails Fire. That fire started on Saturday afternoon local time and had burned over 3,500 acres by early Sunday morning, according to the Watch Duty app. Swaths of Spokane are under Level 3 evacuation orders, which read: “Leave NOW! This may be your only notice.”
Late Saturday night, the Washington National Guard was mobilized to assist local first responders. “The Washington National Guard is making 30 members available tonight to Spokane authorities for any emerging needs,” it said in a Facebook post.
Details
On Saturday, Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency. Ferguson said he would travel to Spokane on Sunday morning and added: “If you are in the area, please continue to be vigilant and follow directions of emergency personnel.”
The three fires — named the Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane — have been driven by strong winds and low humidity. “I was sitting near an elementary school and saw a wall of flames east of the school and just a cascade of black smoke and a wall of flames coming toward me,” said Alexandra Duggan, a public safety reporter for The Spokesman-Review, a daily newspaper in Spokane.
The Old Trails Fire burned at Riverside State Park, to the northwest of Spokane. Overnight, Washington Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Jessica Walston told CNN that the fire was threatening up to 5,000 structures.
Analysis
The city has opened its convention center as a shelter for people displaced by the fires. The city of Spokane has a population of more than 230,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Maps showed dozens of fires were burning across Washington state as of Sunday morning. On Saturday, Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said firefighters were tackling 10 large fires across the state.
Stay informed with the latest news on Wararka.so — your trusted source for Somalia and world news.
