Washington wildfires scorch over 2,50,000 acres of land; trigger mass evacuations

Old Trails Fire burns near Dwight Merkel Sports Complex (AP photo)

More than 4,000 firefighters, backed by the National Guard and crews from over a dozen states, battled multiple wildfires across Washington state, US on Saturday as strong winds and extreme heat fuelled blazes that forced widespread evacuations and power outages.Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and imposed a burn ban, warning that Washington was facing a “very serious situation” with more than a dozen active fires burning across over 250,000 acres. Nearly 450,000 acres have burned across the state so far this summer.“Our state is facing a very serious situation with multiple fires,” Ferguson said, adding that high temperatures and strong winds are expected to hamper firefighting efforts through the weekend.The biggest concern remained the fast-moving Old Trails Fire in Spokane, which erupted around noon, raced through dry brush and grass, jumped the Spokane River and spread into residential neighbourhoods.The blaze had burned about 3,000 acres by Saturday evening, threatened nearly 4,000 structures and forced evacuations across parts of the city. Cars lined roads as residents fled while thick smoke and towering flames engulfed the area.“We urge residents of Spokane to heed evacuation orders and to stay alert to changing conditions and evacuations as they are rapidly changing,” Courtney James, spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said.Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said around 200 homes had been evacuated by late afternoon, but warned the figure was likely to rise as evacuation zones expanded. Several major facilities, including water reclamation plants, a waste-to-energy facility and a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, were also evacuated.Firefighters had achieved zero containment of the Old Trails Fire by Saturday evening, and officials said the cause remained under investigation. Authorities confirmed that some structures had been destroyed, though the full extent of the damage was still being assessed.Power utility Avista implemented public safety shutoffs amid the fire threat, leaving about 60,000 customers without electricity.State Forester George Geissler said the Spokane blaze was one of five major fire complexes burning across Washington. The largest, the Kaiser Canyon Fire in the state’s northeast, had grown to about 134,000 acres.“This is not normal… Throughout the state of Washington we’re seeing fires raging,” Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said.No fire-related deaths or injuries had been reported as of Saturday evening.“It’s a tragedy what we’re seeing over there,” Major General Gent Welsh of the Washington National Guard said. “When the sun sets and the sun rises in the morning, I think we’re going to be in shock to see some of the scenes that emerged out there.”