Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide wildfire emergency and banned outdoor burning across all 39 counties as fires in Spokane destroyed at least 700 structures and drove tens of thousands from their homes, with 14 people still unaccounted for.
The fires tearing through eastern Washington have burned more than 8,000 acres near Spokane with zero containment, according to Newsmax, leveling homes, businesses, and entire neighborhoods while 900 crews and National Guard soldiers fight to hold the line. Officials said Monday that the destruction toll, already at 700 structures, many of them homes, is expected to climb as satellite imaging of 1,100 additional areas gets underway to assess commercial and residential damage.
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said it is still trying to locate 14 people who needed help during the fires. Whether those individuals are injured, sheltering in place, or worse remains unclear.
Ferguson spoke directly with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the crisis. The governor told reporters he detailed "how dire and devastating the situation is in Spokane and across our state" and said he is optimistic about receiving a quick federal emergency declaration.
FEMA has already approved Fire Management Assistance Grants for three major fires in the area, covering up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs. Fourteen active wildfires were burning near Spokane, with some covering more than 7,700 acres.
Ferguson's emergency proclamation includes an outdoor burn ban effective until Sept. 30, though it can end sooner or be extended. The ban covers campfires, bonfires, residential yard debris burning, trash disposal, land clearing, weed abatement, and agricultural burning across all 39 Washington counties. Exemptions exist for liquid- or gas-fueled stoves and grills placed on non-flammable surfaces at least five feet from vegetation, agricultural burns conducted under a fire permit from local or state authorities, and campfires at state, county, and municipal parks and campgrounds that comply with existing restrictions.
The governor's emergency declaration came after wind-driven fires overwhelmed local firefighting capacity and forced the largest mass evacuation in Spokane's recent history.
The Old Trails Fire, one of the most destructive blazes in the complex, started around noon Saturday burning brush and grass in northwest Spokane before strong winds pushed it north and east into residential areas. By evening, nearly four square miles had burned with zero containment. Unusually high temperatures and sustained winds drove the fire across the Spokane River and into populated neighborhoods.
Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, urged residents "to heed evacuation orders and to stay alert to changing conditions and evacuations as they are rapidly changing."
Three fires in the Spokane area burned approximately 8.2 square miles total, destroying at least 600 homes, businesses, and other structures over the weekend, AP News reported. That figure has since risen to 700. Patients at the local VA hospital were among those evacuated.
The Spokane fires are part of a broader wildfire crisis across the western United States. Major fires are also burning in Idaho, Oregon, and Utah, straining firefighting resources across the region. A fire in central Utah more than tripled in size over the weekend, from 16 to 56 square miles, killing more than 100 cattle and threatening the town of Fillmore.
Across the broader Pacific Northwest, a record fire season has already consumed well over a million acres, stretching crews and equipment thin before the worst of the late-summer fire weather has arrived.
Up to 65,000 people fled their homes in the Spokane area. For many, the evacuation came with almost no warning as wind-driven flames moved faster than responders could map them.
Katie Sullivan, one of the evacuees, described the terror of watching the fire close in. As KATU reported:
"There's a moment of fear that I think I've never felt before in my life. Where the cloud of smoke comes and blocks the sun, and you can hear things exploding, catching fire, there's nowhere to go."
Aric Frank, a lifelong Spokane resident who lost his home, said he has no plans to rebuild:
"I don't think I'm going to rebuild here. I don't ever want to have to relive a fire coming up this hill again, and I've been in Spokane my entire 64 years."
Earlier in the fire season, possible human remains were discovered in a home destroyed by a Spokane-area wildfire after a resident reportedly refused to evacuate, a grim reminder that not everyone who stays behind survives.
Hazy skies have already settled over western Washington. Smoke from wildfires in Canada and central Washington has been pushing into the Seattle area, and officials warned that a wind shift later in the week could carry Spokane fire smoke westward as well.
Spokane Fire Chief Tom Williams made clear the crisis is far from over:
"This fire is still very active, and it's going to be for some time until we can get crews to visit every place that was affected by it."
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell echoed that warning. "We are not out of danger," Cantwell said. "The next couple of days will be challenging." Benjamin Cossel, a federal response team public information officer, pointed to conditions working against firefighters: "We have weather working against us, and we have terrain working against us."
The extreme fire weather conditions that preceded the Spokane disaster had already put the entire Pacific Northwest on alert, and the forecast offers little relief in the near term.
Officials are now surveying 1,100 additional areas by satellite to determine the full extent of the damage. The 700-structure figure is expected to grow. With zero containment reported on some of the largest fires, the immediate priority remains saving lives and keeping responders safe.
The federal response so far, FEMA grants approved, the National Guard deployed, and a direct line open between Ferguson and the White House, suggests Washington will not be left to fight this alone. But for the thousands of families who fled with nothing and the 14 people still unaccounted for, the bureaucratic machinery matters less than the question of what they will find when they are finally allowed to go home.
When 65,000 Americans are displaced in a weekend and the damage count is still climbing, the only thing that matters is whether the people in charge move fast enough to match the fire.
