Washington wildfire intensifies; 60,000 people ordered to evacuate

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: Following the intensification of the fire in the Spokane area of ​​Washington state, local officials announced that the number of people who have received evacuation warnings has increased to 60,000.

 

According to local officials, the fire has completely destroyed about 600 residential and commercial buildings and has covered more than 2,000 acres of land in the region. Extensive firefighting and rescue operations to control the fire are still ongoing.

 

Referring to the expansion of the fire, Tom Williams, the regional police chief, said that the residences of more citizens are under threat and that is why evacuation orders have been issued for more areas.

 

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called the incident “the worst natural disaster” the city has ever faced. She said about 10,000 customers were still without power as of Sunday afternoon.

 

US officials also announced that the fires have burned a total of more than 250,000 hectares of forests in Washington state. Dave Uptgrove, the state’s public lands commissioner, said about 4,000 firefighters are battling more than a dozen blazes.

 

The governor of Washington state has also declared a state of emergency, and officials emphasize that no deaths have been reported from the fires so far.

 

At the same time, US media reported that a large part of the western United States has been affected by an unprecedented “heat dome” that has exposed about 55 million people to extreme heat and has increased the likelihood of new fires starting and spreading.

 

The US National Weather Service has warned that temperatures in some parts of the western United States will exceed 48 degrees Celsius, and the weather conditions, combined with dry air and strong winds, are increasing the risk of rapidly spreading wildfires. Smoke from the fires has also affected several US states and parts of Canada.