Wildfires in Washington state force mass evacuations

A major wildfire emergency in Washington state has forced 60,000 people to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of homes, with three large blazes still burning around the city of Spokane. Officials say it is the biggest wildfire emergency currently in the United States and among the worst disasters in the city's history.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has declared a wildfire emergency and a statewide burn ban, urging residents not to start their own fires amid tinder-like conditions. He said he had spoken with President Trump, who expressed concern about the situation. At a news conference, Ferguson sought to reassure those affected: "There are just so many Washingtonians who have literally lost everything in a very, very short period of time. Just in a matter of hours, their lives changed in deeply dramatic and fundamental ways."

The mayor of Spokane, Lisa Brown, described the scale of the displacement. Level three evacuations affected over 60,000 residents and involved over 14,000 structures in the city alone. She said there are three fires in the region and 15 or more happening across the state. "It's an extreme level of displacement and people are not able to get back into those evacuation zones right now. So there's so much uncertainty about whether people have lost or are simply waiting to go back to a very different future."

As of Monday, at least 600 homes had been destroyed, according to city officials. No deaths or injuries have been confirmed. The fires have also left thousands without power. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources said the fire has expanded to some 2,500 acres, with multiple ground and air resources deployed.

Mayor Brown said the city had been aware of the wildfire risk, especially as the climate has changed. "We were prepared that this was likely to be the worst wildfire season we have seen in a long time if ever, but of course something of this magnitude you're never completely prepared for." She warned that the weather, heat and wind remain a concern, and that the fire could move back into inhabited areas if conditions change.

Journalist and author John Vaillant, who wrote about fire weather, linked the severity to a broader climate pattern. "We're seeing a convergence of prolonged drought and record-breaking heat, not just regionally now, not just in one or two countries or one part of a continent, but across the entire Northern Hemisphere." He noted that major fires are burning from Western Canada to Eastern Siberia, and that scenes like those in Spokane are playing out across Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and into Eastern Europe and Russia.

The long-term human impact includes trauma from evacuation, the toxic effects of wildfire smoke, and the destruction of land leading to potential flooding. Vaillant said: "Even being put on evacuation alert is anxiety producing and even traumatic. And when you are driven from your home with no certainty that you will be able to return when or if or what might be there when you eventually get back, that's really one of the most kind of psychically destructive things that can happen to a person."

Meanwhile, wildfires are also burning in parts of Europe, with Greece among the countries battling dangerous blazes. Two firefighting helicopters collided near the town of Pasatha on Sunday, killing two people on board. The British pilot and a Greek crew member on the other helicopter survived. Greece's prime minister expressed sorrow for the accident, and the country is facing extremely difficult days ahead with fierce winds making conditions worse.