Washington state wildfires force 60,000 people to evacuate homes – BBC
Videos from Spokane – the second most populus city in Washington – show huge plumes of smoke and roaring fires close to nearby houses.
Wildfires have forced around 60,000 people to evacuate parts of the north-western US state of Washington, destroying hundreds of buildings and leaving thousands without power.
Three major blazes continued to burn around the city of Spokane on Monday, with officials warning the fires had not been contained.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the situation to the BBC 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. Investigators have yet to work out how the blazes started.
The fires in Spokane are among a total number of 16 large, uncontained wildfires on the landscape in Washington state as of Monday morning, according to 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.
