Wildfires broke out on Friday in eastern Washington state, destroying hundreds of structures and forcing the closure of a major freeway for days. Two people have been confirmed dead. On Monday, fire officials confirmed to The Associated Press that a corpse had been discovered in the area burned by the Oregon fire north of Spokane on Sunday afternoon. Over the weekend, authorities confirmed that another person had perished in the Gray fire that had begun west of Spokane on Friday.
On Sunday, Governor Jay Inslee went to the affected areas and announced a state of emergency. More than 53 square miles (137 square kilometers) have been burned due to these and other fires around the state so far this year, and at least 265 structures have been lost. On Monday, Inslee announced that he had spoken with Vice President Joe Biden and Administrator of the government Emergency Management Agency Deanne Criswell about obtaining government funds to aid with firefighting efforts.
Inslee said Monday on X (formerly Twitter) that he appreciated a call from President Biden expressing worry about the horrific wildfires in Spokane County and what could be done to seek government relief. According to Inslee, Criswell assured him that the department will collaborate with Washington to promptly assess damage in order to determine what federal aid the state may be eligible for. Criswell met with media on Monday on Air Force One as Vice President Biden travelled to Hawaii to inspect damage from recent wildfires.
Criswell said FEMA has disaster response teams embedded with Washington state emergency response authorities “and they’re ready to support any resource request as needed.” As of Monday, the 15.6 square miles (40 square kilometers) burned by the Gray fire that began near Medical Lake in Spokane County at midday on Friday had been contained. According to Isabelle Hoygaard, public information officer with the Gray fire incident management team, at least 185 structures have been burned or damaged, with a greater number likely once personnel are able to perform an accurate evaluation.
Hoygaard claimed that “a good majority” of the destroyed buildings were in the communities of Medical Lake and Silver Lake. On Monday, Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper told KREM-TV that the fire had forced the evacuation of 5,000 people. A segment of Interstate 90 that had been closed due to the flames and charred trees falling into the roadway reopened Monday afternoon, and Hoygaard reported that firefighters were making progress on the Gray fire. According to Spokane County Emergency Management, the number of necessary evacuations decreased on Monday.
Friday afternoon saw the start of the Oregon fire north of Elk in Washington. As of Monday, fire officials estimated that it had burned through around 15.8 square miles (40.9 square kilometers) of forested and agricultural area. According to Guy Gifford, the Oregon fire’s public relations officer, more than 80 buildings have been destroyed and another 150 are under danger. Both fires have prompted mandatory evacuations, and officials have stressed the importance of people leaving their homes at the first sign of danger. “There may be no formal notice that you need to evacuate,” fire management said on the website for the fire incident information system. The origin of the blazes is currently being probed. Both were sparked by the dry, windy circumstances that prompted emergency alerts in the area. According to the National Weather Service office in Spokane, the city had the worst air quality in the country on Sunday, and the situation didn’t improve much on Monday. Conditions in western Washington that were hazy on Sunday began to clear up on Monday.
News from enegxinews
