Thousands evacuated as raging wildfires wipe out homes & spark explosions as officials warn ‘we’re going to be in shock’

THOUSANDS of residents have been evacuated from homes as three raging wildfires continue to engulf eastern Washington. Large chunks of the city of Spokane have been placed under a Level 3 evacuation order telling residents to leave immediately as officials warn of devastation. The Old Trails Fire, one of the three raging wildfires in Spokane, has burned over 3,500 acres Credit: AP Thousands have been evacuated as the fires threaten homes and send plumes of smoke into the air Credit: Reuters A state of emergency has been declared by the mayor and the National Guard has been activated Credit: AP Over 600 structures are believed to have been destroyed by the Spokane fires Credit: Reuters “When the sun rises, we are going to be in shock,” Major General Gent Welsh, Washington’s adjutant general said at a press conference on Saturday night. He said the conditions are the worst he has seen in his nearly 40-year career as surging wildfires engulf parts of the city and destroy over 600 buildings in the Indian Trail neighborhood and other parts of the city. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Officials have confirmed it is one of the worst natural disasters in Spokane’s history. The infernos have taken out homes one-by-one and also set off a chain of loud explosions, the Spokesman-Review reported. The fires are surging quickly and unpredictably as wind gusts of up to 45mph carry flames further across the city and across the Spokane River, prompting firefighters to yell at people to run to safety. Mayor Lisa Brown declared a state of emergency and Governor Bob Ferguson activated the National Guard to help residents evacuate. The original evacuation site at the Spokane Falls Community College had to be closed down when power was knocked out by the fires. A second evacuation site was then opened at the Spokane Convention Center where transport officials and American Red Cross volunteers helped move the elderly and sick. Most read in The Sun Around 100 firefighters were deployed to battle the blazes on Saturday night as high winds caused chaos. “There is not a fire department in the US that can handle a wind-driven event this size,” Assistant Spokane Fire Chief Lance Dahl said. Teams of out-of-state firefighters have been drafted in to help fight the flames, including those who helped battle deadly wildfires in Palisades and Camp. So far no fatalities or injuries have been reported. ‘When the sun rises, we are going to be in shock,’ residents were told Saturday night Credit: Reuters The city’s first evacuation site had to be closed when power was knocked out by the fires Credit: AP Mayor Brown warned that it is too early to “discuss the magnitude of the property destruction” with evacuated residents told to be prepared to be out of their homes for at least 36 hours. The fire causing the most concern is the Old Trails Fire which began on Saturday afternoon and has decimated over 3,500 acres of land as of Sunday morning, threatening 5,000 structures. A public safety reporter recalled the moment they saw the “wall of flames” when speaking to The Spokesman. “I was sitting near an elementary school and saw a wall of flames east of the school and just a cascade of black smoke and a wall of flames coming toward me,” Alexandra Duggan said. Monica Opfer, who lives near Indian Trail Elementar, y said she watched the fire move closer to her home, to the point where she could feel the heat, before grabbing her dog and her medication and fleeing. “I think I lost my home,” she told the Spokesman. “I don’t know where I’m going to go.” Dozens of fires, including 10 large blazes, are currently raging across the state. Washingtonians have been warned that “any new spark on our tinder dry landscapes can lead to another devastating wildfire…don’t be that spark,” Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove said. While weather conditions have improved since Saturday, wind gusts up to 20mph are still forecast throughout Sunday night before dropping on Monday. Comment now