Wildfires ravage US West, force evacuations

WASHINGTON — Fast-moving wildfires across the western United States have destroyed hundreds of buildings, forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate and stretched firefighting resources as authorities warned of continued risks amid extreme heat and drought conditions.

The most severe impact was reported in Washington state, where wildfires raging on the outskirts of Spokane for the third day have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced about 64,000 people to flee their homes, officials said Monday.

The cluster of three blazes ranked as the top firefighting priority in the United States, including the drought-parched Pacific Northwest, where dozens of major wildfires have been burning for weeks, degrading air quality across a wide region.

The Spokane-area fires have scorched more than 3,200 hectares since erupting on Saturday on the northern fringe of the city, home to about 230,000 residents.

At least 700 structures have gone up in flames, mostly in residential areas, while aerial infrared surveys showed that possibly another 400 buildings, including homes, had been damaged or destroyed.

"There are just so many Washingtonians who have literally lost everything in a very, very short period of time," Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said at a press briefing.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported so far, but officials warned the situation could change as search teams reach areas still inaccessible due to extreme fire activity.

Roughly 1,100 firefighters were battling the Spokane blazes as of Monday, a fraction of the more than 29,200 personnel assigned to wildfires nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

The agency reported more than 100 large new wildfires on Sunday across 15 states, stretching resources thin across the region.

In Utah, a fast-moving wildfire expanded to nearly 28,340 hectares, while mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect for parts of Fillmore, authorities said Monday.

The lightning-caused wildfire, which was discovered on July 27, remained zero percent contained as of Monday, according to Utah Fire Info.

The Millard County Sheriff's Office said about 25 homes in Kanosh and Meadow were evacuated, along with residents of the Kanosh Band community and recreationists above Meadow and Fillmore.

Tribe affected

The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah declared a state of emergency for its Kanosh Band on Sunday as the wildfire continued to expand.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said more than 1,000 homes were under evacuation orders when Utah requested federal firefighting assistance, which the agency authorized on Sunday.

Across the affected areas, extreme weather conditions continued to complicate firefighting efforts, fire officials said. Cooler temperatures were expected to provide a brief respite, but officials warned that high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds were forecast to return later this week.

"This is an extraordinary wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest," said David Upthegrove, Washington's commissioner of public lands, adding that a combination of weather conditions and widespread fires were stretching resources and challenging response efforts.

AGENCIES-XINHUA