Spokane fires destroy hundreds of structures

Wildfires swept into Spokane on Saturday, burning hundreds of buildings in and around Washington’s second-largest city.

About 700 structures, including homes, had been destroyed, according to estimates in a Sunday morning report from the Washington State Emergency Operations Center. The report said that more than 65,000 people were under evacuation orders. There were no reports of deaths or injuries as of Sunday afternoon, though officials emphasized that could change.

Mayor Lisa Brown described it as “the worst natural disaster our region has faced.” The city of Spokane has about 230,000 residents.

The Spokane Complex of fires had spread across more than 5,300 acres as of Sunday morning, according to InciWeb. Three fires are part of the incident: Autumn Lane, Fairview and Old Trails. Old Trails is the largest of the three, burning more than 3,000 acres.

Fire officials did not immediately respond to a request Sunday afternoon for updated figures about the size of the fires or how much they’d been contained. But the blazes remained active throughout the day. Brown said evacuated areas are not expected to reopen Sunday. The cause of the fires remains under investigation.

Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, said he spoke Sunday afternoon with President Donald Trump, a Republican, and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about the fires. Ferguson said he’d spoken to Mullin two times earlier in the day.

“The president was very gracious, as was Secretary Mullin,” Ferguson said. “I spoke to the president about what’s going on, and spoke in pretty clear fashion about how dire the situation is. He understands that. He knew that going into the call. He expressed his support for what the people are going through out here, and I deeply appreciate him taking time.”

The governor said the state has submitted a request for short-term emergency assistance from the federal government and planned to seek longer-term disaster relief as well.

Initial support the state has requested from the federal government includes help with search and rescue, housing and food assistance, and debris removal, Ferguson said.

Republican U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, who represents eastern Washington, during a meeting with local officials on Saturday, pointed to the bipartisan push to secure federal aid after severe flooding in Washington in December and said he expected a similar effort for the fires.

On Sunday, the first-term congressman said he had briefed Mullin on the fire situation and discussed potential federal assistance.

“This is a devastating fire,” he said in a press conference on Sunday.

Officials warned of extremely dangerous fire weather heading into the weekend, with dry conditions around the state and winds between 20 and 50 mph forecast east of the Cascades. Ferguson on Saturday morning declared a statewide wildfire emergency and imposed a statewide burn ban.

“There is not a fire department in the U.S. that can handle a wind-driven event this size,” Assistant Spokane Fire Chief Lance Dahl said during a press briefing Saturday. 

“There’s not enough staffing; there’s not enough people,” he said. “And if you look across the western United States now and you look across Washington state itself and how many acres are burning right now. The state resources are spread very, very thin.”

California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 took command of the Spokane fires on Sunday. Officials have said the fires are the No. 1 wildfire fighting priority in the country.

The state Department of Natural Resources is involved in the response, along with local and federal agencies.

Courtney James, a Department of Natural Resources spokesperson, said by phone Sunday morning that the agency had dispatched four crews of around 10 people each, six fire engines, 12 bulldozers and four aircraft to the blazes.

Maj. Gen. Gent Welsh, adjutant general of the Washington National Guard, said more than 100 National Guard members were deployed on the streets of Spokane.

Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said Sunday afternoon that, in total, more than 900 personnel from various agencies were battling the Spokane fires. He said 15 major fires were burning across more than 250,000 acres in the state.

Upthegrove told the Standard on Friday that state resources were getting stretched. “This is an extraordinary fire season that’s creating unusual challenges,” he said.

He said in an interview late Sunday afternoon that it was his understanding that the current strain on firefighting resources — which include ground equipment, aircraft and crews — had not delayed the response to the Spokane fires.

“We were able to get the resources we needed,” he said. “This was prioritized because the significant threat to property and lives and critical infrastructure.”

Upthegrove said he expects this year will prove to be an inflection point in making the case for state spending on wildfire prevention and management. He said his agency can highlight specific work that’s been done that has made this year’s fires less severe and protected homes.

“Without a doubt, I think this is going to be a bit of a watershed moment,” he said.

August is typically Washington’s driest month, and threatens to further raise already heightened fire risks at a time when the state is dealing with widespread drought. 

Forecasts showed winds would continue to gust up to 25 mph Sunday afternoon and evening in Spokane. The National Weather Service said the wind should ease after midnight.

State Rep. Jim Walsh, who chairs the Washington State Republican Party and represents a district in western Washington, lashed out on social media Saturday night, arguing Democratic leaders past and present are responsible for the conditions that fueled the blaze.

“This is what happens when the state mismanages public lands for two generations,” he wrote, suggesting that Democratic officials were overstating how much climate change was a factor in the fires. “They’re trying to shift blame from their own disastrous policies. Don’t let them.”

The blazes come as the state’s primary election approaches on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office said as of Sunday morning they had received no reports of damaged ballot drop boxes and no interruptions to postal services.

“While voting may not be the first thing on people’s minds as they respond to these wildfires, I want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to vote if they’re able,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said in a statement.

Hobbs emphasized that voters can return their ballot to any county drop box or elections office and can print replacement ballots online at VoteWA.gov, or visit county elections offices or voting centers to request a replacement ballot.

Washington State Standard reporter Jerry Cornfield contributed to this report.