At least one person has been killed and over 20,000 acres have been burned in two separate wildfires in Spokane County, Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The department reported that as of Sunday morning, the Oregon Road Fire had burned over 9,200 acres and the Grey Fire had burned over 10,800 acres. Since last Friday, neither fire has been contained. Parts of both regions are still subject to evacuation orders and warnings.
One person was killed in the Grey Fire, which is currently raging between Medical Lake and Four Lakes. Although the department has warned that dangers still exist within the burned regions, it has stated that it “does not appear there will be more fire growth” in those areas.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources reported that “problematic weather” on Saturday hampered firefighting efforts for the Grey Fire.
As a result of the fire, two hospitals had to take protective measures and evacuate some of their patients.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, at least 185 buildings were damaged in the fire, and some residents of Medical Lake were left without electricity as a result.
According to the county fire district, the Grey Fire was first reported on Friday afternoon in the Lakeland Village neighbourhood, southwest of Medical Lake. The fire district said that helicopters and aeroplanes were dispatched to the scene.
By Saturday afternoon, Spokane County had declared an emergency, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The department reported on Sunday that 390 firefighters are battling the Oregon Road Fire. The reason for this has yet to be determined.
Nearly 8,300 acres have been affected by the fire. Spokane County Fire Chief Bill Neckels remarked, “We’ve had a number of structures lost.”
Officials urged locals to heed evacuation instructions, saying that disobedience could slow down rescue efforts.
Norah West, assistant director of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, told AWN that residents at Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Centre, two state-operated medical facilities in the area, had been advised to shelter in place.
We are working to clarify specifics on the ground as this is an evolving scenario,” West added.
Around 15 miles southwest of Spokane, Medical Lake can be found.
According to the National Interagency Fire Centre, as of August 20 there were over 93 active wildfires in the United States, which had burned over 500,000 acres across at least 14 states.
