Evacuation of 5,000 homes and destruction of hundreds of buildings due to wildfires in Washington state

US authorities announced today that out-of-control wildfires in eastern Washington state have forced the evacuation of approximately 5,000 homes and destroyed nearly 600 buildings, with no fatalities reported so far.

Authorities said the fires have consumed more than 21 square kilometers around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, as dozens of wildfires continue to burn across the western United States, placing significant strain on firefighting teams and federal agencies.

In Idaho, firefighters continued for the tenth consecutive day their efforts to contain a blaze that has spread across approximately 1,360 square kilometers of grassland in the western part of the state and eastern Oregon.

The National Weather Service also issued air quality degradation warnings for eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, western and central Idaho, and western Montana, alongside fire risk warnings for parts of Utah, Montana, and western Nebraska. Additionally, warnings were issued for an intense heat wave affecting areas in Arizona, California, Nevada, and northern Montana.