Eastern Washington Wildfires Destroy 600 Structures, Force 60,000 to Evacuate
Wildfires around Spokane forced 60,000 people to evacuate and destroyed at least 600 structures as dry, windy conditions complicated firefighting across the US Northwest.
In short
- Wildfires around Spokane forced 60,000 people to evacuate and destroyed at least 600 structures as dry, windy conditions complicated firefighting across the US Northwest.
Wildfires in eastern Washington forced about 60,000 people to evacuate the Spokane area and destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures, authorities reported on Sunday, August 2, 2026.
Three fires — the Old Trails, Fairview and Meadowview fires — were burning around Spokane. Together, fires near the city had scorched roughly 21 square kilometres, while fires across Washington state had burned about 1,000 square kilometres. Some remained uncontained.
Patients at the US Veterans Affairs hospital in Spokane were among those evacuated. The city opened its main convention centre as a shelter, while about 10,000 customers remained without electricity on Sunday, down from a peak of 30,000.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency on Saturday. Weather officials issued a particularly dangerous red-flag warning for eastern Washington, with dry conditions and strong wind gusts adding to the risk. Officials warned that the threat would continue over the following days.
The Spokane fires form part of a broader wildfire emergency across the northwestern United States. Crews were also fighting major fires in Idaho and Oregon, where flames threatened hundreds of homes and other structures. Air-quality alerts covered parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.
