Fire crews in Washington state working tirelessly to contain destructive blazes in the Spokane area are preparing for a new bout of flame-fueling winds and intense heat that will arrive on Friday and continue through the weekend.
A short-lived reprieve from adverse weather over the past couple of days gave crews a chance to make considerable progress on taming the flames, but upcoming conditions threaten to undo some of that hard work or fan sparks into new blazes.
A complex of three fires near Spokane in the eastern portion of the state have scorched more than 10,000 acres of land and destroyed hundreds of homes and structures since igniting on Saturday. At one point, the fires forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate — some have since returned to find treasured memories turned to ashes.
Authorities said Wednesday evacuation zones will remain in place due to the incoming fire conditions. “We are not going to be downgrading these zones in any large way for many, many more days to come,” said Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels.
Authorities have arrested and charged a Spokane resident with first-degree arson in one of the fires. He has an arraignment scheduled for Thursday.
