A statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was untouched as fire razed neighborhoods in the northwestern US city of Spokane on Sunday.
Firefighters battled to put out massive fires in the northwestern US city of Spokane early Monday, after officials said hundreds of structures had been reduced to ashes.
Thousands of people were asked to evacuate their homes over the weekend after three different fires broke out in and around the city in eastern Washington state.
The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a warning for “extremely critical fire weather conditions” in the area due to strong winds and extreme dryness.
On Sunday, video footage showed scores of homes burning to the ground, leaving just their brick fireplaces and foundations, while other houses adjacent escaped almost unharmed.
“Just driving around looking at the homes—it’s just one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen in my life,” Spokane resident Geoff Beadles told AFP after evacuating from his home with his fiancée and two dogs.
Mayor Lisa Brown informed a press briefing Sunday afternoon, “Hundreds of homes and structures have been lost. We are still assessing the potential for lives to be lost.”
“To the people who are suffering right now in our region from either loss or uncertainty… our hearts go out to you. We are here for you for the long term,” she said.
Late Sunday, fire authorities stated the blazes were still completely out of control.
While more favorable weather with light breezes was predicted for Monday, temperatures were likely to increase again later in the week.
Smoke accumulating over the city would most certainly make air quality “very unhealthy” on Monday, according to the regional clean air agency.
Sheriff John Nowels said no deaths or injuries had so far been reported, but “because of the scale of this and what it takes to… do those kinds of investigations in an active fire scene, that could change.”
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, who proclaimed a state of emergency, said the state is experiencing its fourth consecutive year of drought as climate change creates circumstances conducive to deadly wildfires.
He told the press conference that he has spoken with federal leaders about receiving resources to deal with the crisis, including President Donald Trump, who acknowledged “how dire the situation is.”
Fire officials warned that “unauthorized” drone incursions into restricted airspace above wildfires were forcing helicopters and other firefighting aircraft to land.
David Upthegrove, the director of Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, said that the fire in Spokane was “one of 15 major fires burning throughout the state of Washington right now.”
“This is an extraordinary wildfire season in the Pacific Northwest. It’s not a normal season,” he said.
“A confluence of weather conditions, a confluence of fires throughout the West, is stretching our resources and challenging the individuals in this response.”
The Old Trails fire, the largest of the three fires burning in Spokane, jumped the Spokane River on Saturday afternoon and crossed into the city limits.
Tena Risley, another resident, said she noticed flames behind trees near her home and panicked, grabbing her dog and a few belongings. She became stopped in traffic while attempting to evacuate as the fast-moving fires closed ways out of the city.
“There were probably hundreds and hundreds of cars,” she told AFP.
Authorities issued the highest-level evacuation alert, “Go Now,” for swathes of northern Spokane affecting thousands of people within city limits, according to the government’s evacuation map.
According to CNN, as at Sunday morning, the three fires had charred a total of 5,390 acres (2,181 hectares).
