Overview
- Three fast‑moving fires that began over the weekend grew into the Spokane area, burning roughly 8,000 acres and prompting evacuation orders for about 60,000–65,000 people.
- Aerial surveys and local officials report between several hundred and more than 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed, with block‑by‑block on‑the‑ground assessments still under way.
- Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and an outdoor burn ban while the National Guard plus crews from other states and Australia were mobilized to help fight the blazes.
- The cause remains under active investigation; local outlets report a 37‑year‑old arrested on suspicion of arson and authorities say searches and damage tallies could change as teams access burned neighborhoods.
- State officials link the scale of the fires to four years of drought, unusually dry fuels and a rare 'Particularly Dangerous Situation' Red Flag Warning, and they have requested expedited federal assistance as hotter, drier weather is forecast to return.