Spokane Complex Fires Force 60,000 Evacuations, Destroy Hundreds of Homes
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8
Spokane Complex Fires Force 60,000 Evacuations, Destroy Hundreds of Homes
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 8
Summary
More than 60,000 Spokane-area residents—about one-fourth of the city—were driven from their homes as the Spokane Complex fires tore through neighborhoods, in what Mayor Lisa Brown called the region’s worst natural disaster.
Wind-driven flames on a hot August weekend turned Indian Trail Road into a “war zone,” with officials and residents describing exploding structures, fast-moving smoke and homes burning within minutes.
Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of homes were lost, yet no fatalities had been reported; the threat was still active as new high winds and warm temperatures kept families in shelters uncertain about returning.
An alleged arsonist was identified as one trigger, but the report says extreme fire conditions intensified by the broader climate crisis helped turn the outbreak into a citywide disaster.