Due to severe wildfires in the U.S. state of Washington, nearly 60,000 residents have been evacuated to safe areas. The fires have destroyed hundreds of buildings, and thousands of people have been left without electricity. About this, BBC reported.
According to the publication, three major fires around the city of Spokane in Washington state have still not been brought under control. Local officials said that the flames continue to spread and the situation remains complicated.
The mayor of Spokane, Lisa Brown, called the situation the "worst natural disaster" in the region's history. She said the scale of the damage was currently being assessed, and did not rule out that there could be loss of human life.
So far, no official information has been given about deaths or injuries. The causes of the fires have also not yet been determined.
According to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, 16 major and still uncontrolled wildfires were recorded in the state on Monday morning.
The U.S. National Weather Service had earlier warned that the fire danger in the area had reached an "extremely high" level. Strong winds and drier than usual weather have caused the flames to spread quickly.
As a result of the fires in the city of Spokane, approximately 700 buildings, including homes, businesses, and other structures, have been damaged.
According to the company "Avista Utilities", more than 10,000 customers were left without electricity on Sunday. By Monday, electricity had been restored to nearly half of them.
Washington state Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency. He asked for federal assistance after speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump.
The "Old Trails", "Fairview", and "Autumn Lane" fires around Spokane have been combined and named "Spokane Complex Fires". According to officials, the fire crossed the Spokane River twice due to strong winds.
The commander of the Washington National Guard, Major General Gent Welsh, compared the post-fire scene to a "war zone". He said the scale of destruction reminded him of his military service in Iraq.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said efforts are currently underway to contact 14 citizens to confirm they were safely evacuated.
More than 900 firefighters have been deployed to fight the fires. Additional forces from other states are expected to arrive in the coming days.
Officials are urging residents not to use drones near the fire areas. The reason is that drones are interfering with the movement of aircraft and helicopters involved in firefighting operations. On Sunday, rescue operations were suspended 26 times because of drones.
According to experts, due to climate change, hot and dry weather conditions are increasing, and the risk of major wildfires is growing ever higher.
