Deadly Spokane-area wildfires edge toward containment after destroying nearly 1,000 structures

Deadly Spokane-area wildfires edge toward containment after destroying nearly 1,000 structures

A cluster of wildfires that tore through the Spokane, Washington area beginning August 1 remains active more than a week later, though firefighters are gaining ground. As of a Friday update, the Autumn Lane Fire was 37% contained, the Old Trails Fire 23% contained, and the Fairview Fire 31% contained, with roughly 921 structures damaged or destroyed across the three blazes and nearly 2,000 fire personnel from 176 jurisdictions working the incident. KHQ

The fires ignited under extreme conditions. The Old Trails Fire started August 1 via arson, during a red-flag warning that included Washington's first-ever "particularly dangerous situation" designation for Eastern Washington, and sustained 35-40 mph winds pushed the fires rapidly eastward into north Spokane neighborhoods. A man has since been charged with arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire. At least 60,000 people were evacuated at the peak of the crisis. WikipediaCNN

Officials have called it a historic disaster for the region. One local leader compared the scale of destruction to the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that struck the Los Angeles area, saying entire neighborhoods have likely been wiped out. Power outages affected more than 30,000 customers at the peak, and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson requested federal emergency support and spoke directly with President Trump about the response. Ferguson also secured a FEMA disaster declaration request as the state worked to mobilize resources, with an incident commander describing the massive firefighter base camp as essentially "a mobile city." The disaster unfolded amid a brutal wider fire season across the West, which separately claimed the lives of three federal wildland firefighters in Colorado in late June. CBS News + 2