Washington wildfires ‘worst disaster’ state has ever faced, says Spokane mayor

Washington wildfires ‘worst disaster’ state has ever faced, says Spokane mayor Tens of thousands forced from their homes in Pacific Northwest and more than 640 structures destroyed as firefighters struggle to contain blazes encouraged by driving winds and dry conditions - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments More than 60,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes in Washington state, after three summer wildfires combined to devastate the region, according to local officials. The trio of blazes – the Old Trails Fire, the Fairview Fire and the Autumn Lane Fire – are being collectively referred to as the Spokane Complex Fire and have already burned a combined 7,708 acres and are currently 0 percent contained. Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said there are 15 wildfires burning across the state in total right now, which have consumed 250,000 acres. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the situation “really the worst natural disaster our region has faced” as she thanked the first responders who, she said, had worked for 30 hours straight in many cases. “We will get through this,” Brown promised. No one has been reported injured by the fires yet but Spokane County Fire District 3 Fire Chief Cody Rohrbach said that 640 structures had been destroyed by the Old Trails Fire alone. Nearly 12,000 electricity customers in Washington, the majority in Spokane, were meanwhile left without power Sunday, according to the utility tracker PowerOutage.us. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell blamed the fires on “a historic weather event,” saying that 35mph north-northwest winds and the unusually dry conditions had helped to whip up the flames. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he had requested immediate Federal Emergency Management Agency support and spoken to President Donald Trump about the crisis, saying the commander-in-chief had “expressed his support for what the people are going through.” According to CNN, firefighters will have their best chance to bring the situation under control for several days Monday, with only light winds forecast and the temperatures dropping to a high of just 80F before picking up again thereafter. The state’s emergency responders are receiving help from fire crews from more than a dozen other states and from Australia, Upthegrove said, while more than 100 National Guard members are assisting the Spokane County community. Brown encouraged the public to volunteer to help the Red Cross or to donate to local charitable efforts while Spokane Area Fires has urged people not to fly commercial drones over the disaster area to film the fires as doing so risks impeding the fightback. One local resident, Corey Hobson, posted a video on Facebook Saturday showing charred trees and scorched earth. “Not every house was destroyed, but a lot of them were,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’ve lived in Spokane my whole life, and I’m 55 years old.” A woman who gave her name as Angela told local outlet KHQ her family was safe but that they had lost their home of 21-years in the blaze. “You walk away with what you have on, and that’s it,” she said. “But we’re safe, so that’s all that matters.” She admitted that she could not help mourning the loss of her children’s possessions, lamenting: “Everything from their upbringing is gone.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments