More than 4,000 firefighters, supported by the National Guard and crews from over a dozen states, battled multiple wildfires across Washington state, US, on Saturday. Strong winds and extreme heat fueled the blazes, leading to widespread evacuations and power outages.
Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and imposed a burn ban, warning that Washington was facing a "very serious situation" with more than a dozen active fires burning across over 250,000 acres. Nearly 450,000 acres have burned across the state so far this summer. "Our state is facing a very serious situation with multiple fires," Ferguson stated, adding that high temperatures and strong winds are expected to hamper firefighting efforts through the weekend.
The biggest concern remained the fast-moving Old Trails Fire in Spokane, which erupted around noon, raced through dry brush and grass, jumped the Spokane River, and spread into residential neighborhoods.
