Spokane wildfire destroys 15 homes, forces 1,500 residents to evacuate in Eastern Washington | Today’s news
Strong winds fanned a fire that spread to a residential area in eastern Washington, prompting the evacuation of about 1,500 residents and destroying at least 15 homes, authorities said Wednesday.
During a news conference, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said a family member had reported one person missing. But emergency crews could not enter the affected area to search for them because fire conditions were too dangerous Wednesday afternoon, the AP reported.
“They have a place to look, but it’s not safe to look there at this time,” Nowels said.
According to Sheriff John Nowels, many residents of densely populated neighborhoods were forced to evacuate with little warning, often after police officers who went door-to-door were alerted. As a result, some people had to leave behind personal belongings and even essential medicines.
To help residents retrieve critical items, law enforcement escorted individuals back to their homes one by one Wednesday. After picking up the necessary items, the residents were again escorted out of the evacuation zone.
Nowels mentioned that the fire destroyed 15 houses, although no injuries or deaths were reported.
Read also | Wildfire-prone states in the western US are using artificial intelligence for early detection
Chandra Fox, deputy director of emergency management for Spokane County, said an evacuation order for about 1,500 residents remained in effect Wednesday.
“Our concern is for increased winds Wednesday afternoon,” Fox said.
The fire started shortly after noon Tuesday and quickly spread up the hill, according to local fire district spokesman Robert Gray. As wind conditions changed, flames were pushed toward a nearby residential area, increasing the threat to homes.
Read also | Colorado Weather Alert: Fire danger in Denver on Saturday, snow on Sunday
The city of Spokane is located about 280 miles (450 kilometers) east of Seattle, near the Idaho border.
The Spokane Valley Fire Department is responding
John Leavell, a battalion chief with the Spokane Valley Fire Department, said he was among the first to notice the fire. While driving near Interstate 90, he saw a plume of smoke rising in the distance.
“As I approached it, I thought it was going to be a big event – it’s going fast. It looked like waves of fire going uphill,” he said.
John Leavell discovered the house fully engulfed in flames after pulling into the driveway. He immediately alerted nearby emergency services, and while the local fire district took command of the response, his crew began establishing fire lines to slow the fire’s spread.
Leavell said it was unclear if the fire started in the home or if the structure was quickly engulfed in flames. Investigators are still looking into the cause.
Firefighters from both Washington and Idaho responded to the blaze with ground crews and aircraft. Despite their efforts, the fire quickly spread to about 225 acres (0.35 sq mi). The fire was 10% contained by Wednesday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Read also | Spain wild fire horror: 5 areas largely affected; thousands evacuated, one killed
As the fire progressed, the Avista utility shut off power to the affected area to protect fire personnel. Electricity remained unavailable in some places on Wednesday.
Officials noted that weather conditions have begun to improve, providing a more favorable environment for firefighters battling the blaze.
Weather conditions were more favorable for firefighting operations on Wednesday. According to Rachael Fewkes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Spokane, the wind had weakened and was expected to decrease further after sunset. Temperatures also cooled slightly, dropping from the mid-80s on Tuesday to around 80 degrees on Wednesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Wednesday that it has approved a fire management assistance grant to help cover the costs of fighting the wildfire in the Spokane area. A regional FEMA official noted that the fire had the potential to become a major disaster because of the threats it posed to homes, school, energy infrastructure, parks, businesses and wildlife habitat.
FEMA also said this is the first fire management grant issued in Washington state during the current wildfire season.
The National Interagency Fire Center said more than 32,000 wildfires have burned more than 3,900 square miles (10,100 square kilometers) in the United States so far this year. This is reportedly well above the 10-year average of just under 24,000 fires and approximately 2,200 square miles (5,700 km2) burned during the same time of year. Despite the higher overall numbers, wildfire activity has remained relatively mild over the past week.
