US wildfires force 65,000 to flee as hundreds of buildings burn in Spokane

Cover image: A Virgin Mary statue remains untouched in front of a burned out residential home in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Washington, on August 2, 2026. Fast-moving fires left a trail of destruction in the northwestern US city of Spokane on Sunday, with officials reporting hundreds of structures reduced to cinders. Thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday and overnight into Sunday, as three separate fires broke out in and around the city in the east of Washington state. © Erick Doxey, AFP

Firefighters made progress against several blazes Monday after wildfires driven by drought, extreme heat and strong winds tore through Washington state's second-largest city, destroying up to 1,100 structures and prompting what officials called the worst natural disaster in Spokane's history.

Wildfires supercharged by drought and intense heat tore through the northwestern US city of Spokane, forcing the evacuation of 65,000 people and reducing hundreds of buildings to cinders as firefighters raced Monday to contain the flames.