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Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate on Saturday as a fast-moving wildfire spread into Spokane, prompting Washington state to declare an emergency.
More than 200,000 acres (80,900 hectares) were burning across Washington, which is experiencing a fourth consecutive year of statewide drought.
Governor Bob Ferguson said record drought conditions and strong winds were creating dangerous fire conditions across the state. He also announced a ban on most outdoor and agricultural burning through the end of September.
“Our record-setting drought and high winds are creating dangerous conditions across the state,” he said.
Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said the state was already experiencing one of its busiest wildfire seasons on record despite August only just beginning.
The Old Trails Fire jumped the Spokane River on Saturday afternoon and spread into the city, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Authorities issued the highest-level “Go Now” evacuation order across parts of northern Spokane, affecting thousands of residents, according to the government’s evacuation map.
The fire had grown to more than 3,500 acres by 8:20 p.m. local time (0320 GMT), the Spokesman-Review reported.
No injuries had been reported by city officials.
Emergency authorities established an evacuation shelter at the Spokane Convention Center as firefighting efforts continued.
The National Weather Service had earlier issued a “particularly dangerous situation” Red Flag Warning, describing the fire risk across eastern Washington as extreme.
The Washington National Guard also said it was rapidly deploying units to support emergency operations in Spokane.
