Washington state wildfires burn over 250000 acres, Spokane evacuations, Governor Ferguson declares statewide emergency
Thousands in Spokane, Washington were evacuated Saturday as a wind-driven wildfire jumped the Spokane River, forcing a VA hospital, a water plant, and a waste-to-energy facility to shut down. Over 250,000 acres are burning statewide. Governor Ferguson declared a state emergency.
Wildfires have burned more than 250,000 acres across Washington state, prompting Governor Bob Ferguson to declare a statewide emergency and burn ban on Saturday, according to Reuters. About 4,000 firefighters are working more than a dozen active fires statewide. In Spokane, the wind-driven Old Trails Fire, active on roughly 3,000 acres, jumped the Spokane River and forced the evacuation of a VA hospital, a water reclamation facility, and a waste-to-energy plant, while threatening around 4,000 structures. No injuries or fatalities had been reported as of Saturday evening. The evacuation of critical infrastructure, not just residential neighborhoods, underscores how a relatively modest statewide firefighting force is being stretched thin by more than a dozen simultaneous fires burning at once.