One person dead and hundreds of buildings destroyed as fire blows through state

20 August 2023 , 15:31

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One person has died and hundreds of buildings have been destroyed after a fire swept through part of Washington State (Image: Spokane Valley Fire Department)

One person has died and at least 185 buildings have been destroyed after a wind-drive wildfire blew through Washington state.

Authorities confirmed the fatality and extent of the damage on Saturday, August 19, after the blaze blew through the state. The fire, which became known as the Gray Fire, began just after midday on Friday, August 18, on the west side of Medical Lake - around 15 miles west of Spokane.

The fire then expanded, according to Washington State Department of Natural Resources (WADNR) spokesperson Isabelle Hoygaard. By Saturday morning the fire had grown to almost 15 square miles, with zero containment.

The fire remained active with zero containment as of Saturday evening. Officials didn't expect to have new size estimates until Sunday morning, according to Ms Hoygaard.

Dry and hot weather conditions made tackling the fire a difficult job (Spokane Valley Fire Department)

"We know that some homes have burned. We don’t know how many," said Joe Smillie, a spokesman for the department on Friday night. "This blew up really big, really fast. It's been really hot the last week.

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Burned structures consisted of a mixture of homes and outbuildings. Evacuation orders were put in place for the town as winds blew flames southward. Evacuation orders were then extended on Saturday evening southeast to the town of Tyler, said Ms Hoygaard.

Among those evacuated were the parents of Spokane City Councilman Zack Zappone. He said: "They were driving into Spokane when they got alerts on their phone that there were... evacuations at their house.

"They went back to get their dogs. My step mum said it was a giant cloud of smoke and darkness. Embers were falling from the sky. She was having trouble breathing."

The flames swept through the neighbourhood no long after they left, destroying both his parent's home and his uncle's home, just two doors down. Mr Zappone said his parents had lived there for 20 years, since 2003, and had just paid it off last year.

"It's shocking," he said. "I'm just in disbelief."

As of Sunday morning the fire had burned through 10,000 acres (@SCSOAir1/TWITTER)

The blaze burned through the south side of the town before jumping Interstate 90 on Friday night, forcing the road to close. The major east-west thoroughfare remained closed in both directions on Saturday evening.

"The fire is burning on both sides of the highway", said the Washington State Department of Transportation. There has been one fatality confirmed associated with the fire, said Ms Hoygaard, though further details were not immediately released.

The area was placed under a Level 3 warning which means 'Go now'. As of 3am on Sunday morning, the WADNR confirmed that a total of 10,014 acres have been burned as a result of the Gray Fire.

Staff, patients and residents at Eastern State Hospital, a psychiatric facility, and those living at the Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center, both in Medical Lake, were sheltering in place on Saturday said Norah West, a spokesman for the Department of Social and Health Services.

20 Washington National Guard members from the 141st Air Refuelling Wing (ARW) were brought in to help evacuate patients and staff from the Eastern State Hospital. Evacuees from the town were given shelter at a high school overnight.

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Smoke from wildfires fills the air along the highways in Spokane County (AP)

The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Washington Governor Jay Inslee said on X, formerly Twitter : "My thoughts are with the Medical Lake, WA, residents who have been ordered to evacuate as the Gray Fire grows. I am also praying for the safety of the first responders working to contain the fire. May you all remain safe and out of harm's way."

The WADNR reported that the weather is "problematic" for firefighters as dry conditions and hot temperatures hinder efforts to contain the fires. The fire is said to be burning dry gradd, timber and wheat.

Posting a video update later on Saturday, Gov. Inslee said: "As these fires rage in Spokane county we want to thank the first responders who are doing such tremendous work, a coordinated effort, thank them if you get a chance.

"We want people to be safe - this is our first priority, is saving lives. And we hope everybody will focus on that. And I have spoken to Mayors of Medical Lake, Mayor Cooper and Mayor Gover of Cheney, and Sheriff Nowels . They have assured me the state is providing all the resources that they think could be brought to bear on this, but we're going to continue to help in every way that we can.

"This is so troublesome too, there's a certain irony I'm at a conference on how to fight climate change and the fires that are caused by this. We have all gotta pull together now more than ever. Let's think about all the people in Spokane and during the recovery as well. Be safe."

Fiona Leishman