Washington state wildfires force 60,000 people to evacuate homes
Washington state wildfires force 60,000 people to evacuate homes
Washington state wildfires cause 60,000 people to evacuate homes
Videos from Spokane - the second most populous city in Washington - show huge plumes of smoke and roaring fires tearing through houses.
cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/64495027
There's 3 fires burning around 7,000 acres and they are completely uncontained currently.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the situation as "the worst natural disaster our region has faced", adding that authorities were assessing the extent of the damage and were "still discussing the potential for lives to be lost".
No deaths or injuries have been confirmed.
The fires in Spokane are among a total number more than a dozen wildfires in the state including 10 large ones, according to the dashboard on the state's department of natural resources.
The National Weather Service (NWS) had warned of "extremely critical" fire weather over the weekend, with strong winds and unusually dry conditions helping the flames spread rapidly.
Scientists have said that human-induced climate change makes the warm, dry conditions that lead to wildfires more likely - as well as leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves, and potential summer droughts.