Overview
- The wildfire ignited Saturday afternoon and expanded within hours to roughly 2,000–2,500 acres, prompting urgent Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders and the opening of human and animal shelters.
- State officials activated extra resources by declaring a statewide emergency that made National Guard support and interstate mutual aid available.
- The National Weather Service issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation Red Flag Warning for extreme winds and low humidity that hinder aircraft use and can drive very rapid fire growth.
- Utilities reported major outages with Avista cutting power to more than 30,000 customers and Inland Power reporting over 10,000 outages, while videos and resident reports say the fire crossed the Spokane River and threatened homes though no fatalities or injuries have been confirmed.
- The blaze remains active with containment limited, investigators are probing the cause, and officials urge residents to follow evacuation orders and use shelters at Spokane Falls Community College and the Spokane County Fairgrounds for animals.