Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate the city of Spokane, Washington, as a fast-moving wildfire crossed the Spokane River Saturday afternoon and pushed into the city, according to the Spokesman-Review newspaper.
The highest evacuation alert level, “Go Now”, was issued for large parts of northern Spokane, affecting thousands of residents on the city’s outskirts. A shelter has been set up for displaced residents.
Across Washington State, more than 80,900 hectares were burning across 12 major fires. Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency, banning most open-air and agricultural fires through September 30. His office said this is the state’s fourth consecutive drought year, a record.
Ferguson said that historic drought and strong winds were creating dangerous conditions across the state. Dave Upthegrove, the state’s public lands commissioner, said this year was already one of the busiest wildfire years on record, and August was only just beginning.
