VIDEO: Two fires in White Swan destroyed more than 20 structures including 16 homes and pushed the Yakama Nation to declare a state of emergency. State-mobilized crews were still fighting The Signal Peak Fire and The White Swan Fire as response teams worked across the area. At about 2:15 p.m. Monday, air support was visible overhead as several agencies responded after state mobilization was granted for both fires.

A close look around White Swan showed heavy damage. The post office burned and two homes next to it were reduced to rubble, while downed power lines added to the destruction across town. Ryan Chadwick with South Puget Sound’s strike team explained that his crews were working in unfamiliar terrain. He said high winds and dry vegetation made the fire fight harder.

Fire officials told the reporter some control lines had been completed, but conditions could still shift. Yakima County Fire District 5 Deputy Chief Joel Byam said the focus was on keeping the fire from spreading farther. “It’s really being present in the community. It’s putting out some hotspots, watching for anything that kind of pops up. Looking at the, the homes that did burn, the properties that did burn and helping those property owners that, that lost things are what can we do to help them in their community,” said Joel Byam.

For some families, the loss was immediate and personal. Little Man Scabbeyrobe said he lost the home where he had lived for the past 21 years. “We don’t know what we’re going to do next. I just got here yesterday, and as soon as I rushed back, I try to come in and try to save my things. But they blocked every road and said I couldn’t get in. Now we’re just going to find somewhere to stay with our family members,” said Scabbeyrobe.

Residents nearby also told NonStopLocal they had been without power since Saturday. The community was also turning toward recovery as help efforts began to take shape. Harrah Elementary School was being used as an evacuation center. The Wapato and Toppenish longhouses were asking for hygiene donations, and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in White Swan was making meals for people in need.

KNDO-TV NBC 23 Yakima

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VIDEO: 16 apartments were destroyed in a Spokane Valley fire on Sunday afternoon. The Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) says the fire was burning all five floors of Building 8 of Eagle Rock Apartments. About 60 people are displaced. SVFD says they got calls reporting the large fire around 1:23 p.m. 60 fire personnel and 33 apparatus reported to the scene.

Fire officials said at a press conference on Monday that the fire affected 24 apartments and destroyed 16. SVFD said Monday that crews rescued 10 pets from the building, and 5 pets were killed in the fire. No injuries were reported by residents or firefighters. Rey Fuller lived in one of the 16 destroyed apartments.

She says she wasn’t supposed to be home initially the day of the fire. “Thankfully, plans fell through and I was actually home,” said Fuller. Fuller says the fire crept up the side of her apartment instantaneously, only giving her enough time to grab her two cats and one singular jacket.

KREM-TV CBS 2 Spokane

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Using fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and ground personnel, crews across the Pacific Northwest are battling a wildfire season that proving to be more active than normal amid high temperatures and gusty winds. The numbers show just how active this season has become. Nearly 150,000 acres have burned across land managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. And 2026 is already above the 10-year average for late July.

“This year we’re learning that we’re wrong and that 2026 is proving to be one of the worst fire seasons in Central Washington,” said Kyle Foreman of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. More than 280 households were evacuated in Grant County after the Railroad Fire sparked Wednesday night. It’s since grown to more than 8,200 acres.

Over the weekend, the Signal Peak and Ransier fires threatened communities near White Swan in Yakima County. Evacuation notices for these fires have been downgraded to Level 2, or “Get Ready.” As of Sunday, the Ransier Fire was about 500 acres. Lightning has also sparked several of the Northwest’s largest wildfires this season. “Thus far we’ve seen about 8,000 strikes hitting Washington and Oregon,” said John Fox of the Northwest Coordination Center in Portland.

KING-TV NBC 5 Seattle

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PHOTOS: Fires in and around Spokane persisted through Monday with over 140,000 acres burnt and fire weather conditions continuing through out the region. Wildfire smoke, though somewhat lifted from last week, continues to shroud Spokane in light haze, pushing the air quality index into the moderate zone. Smoke is predicted to lift as the week goes on, but areas closer to the fires remain in the unhealthy zone.

Here’s a look at the fires burning in the Spokane region as of Monday:

Clarke fire
A 5- to 10 -acre fire started in People’s Park in the Peaceful Valley neighborhood at around 4:49 p.m. Monday. Justin de Ruyter, public information specialist with the Spokane Fire Department, said they were “feeling pretty good” about the Clarke fire as of 6 p.m. on Monday. No structures were reported as damaged or threatened from the fire. De Ruyter said no evacuations were issued .De Ruyter said the fire mainly burned grass and brush underneath the canopies of the trees. A few of the flames torched up into the trees, but the 50 or so personnel and the helicopter on scene, which was pulled off the Little Baldy fire in Spokane Valley, have done a good job suppressing the flames. With the Spokane River right next to the scene of the fire, De Ruyter said the helicopter was able to pour about 250 to 300 gallons of water on the perimeter of the fire every couple of minutes. With a perimeter set, firefighter crews from the Spokane Valley Fire District, the city of Spokane, Fire District 8 and the Department of Natural Resources were focusing on the edges and ensuring the fire did not jump the river. De Ruyter said there wasn’t a containment estimate. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. De Ruyter said this fire, just a few miles from downtown Spokane, is a reminder that even people in the city need to be prepared to evacuate .“You should have a go bag ready during fire season,” De Ruyter said. “Because you might not get a Level 1 or 2 notice. They might just go to Level 3 where you look out the window and you can’t see the neighbors.”

Little Baldy
A 33-acre grass fire also burned Monday around 2:50 p.m. in the Valley Springs area in Spokane Valley. Spokane County Fire District 9 responded to the flames as the fire traveled through the valley area near Little Baldy hill, with dispersed houses within the fire area.Level 3 “go now” evacuation notices were in effect, and an evacuation shelter was opened at Trent Elementary School located at 3303 North Pines Road.By 6 p.m., the fire was 70% contained with the wheat grass torched black up the hill.

Kaiser Canyon
The Kaiser Canyon fire, the largest in the area, was ignited by lightning over 10 days ago in the Colville Reservation and Nespelem area. It has grown to 124,251 acres with only 15% containment. Much of the surrounding area remains in a Level 3 “go now” evacuation zone.Air quality has improved around the southern perimeter of the fire, the Colville Fire agency said, but hot, dry weather and 15-20 mph wind gusts were forecast for Monday afternoon and high temperatures continuing through Wednesday. Wind is predicted for Tuesday.Large fire-killed trees completely burned, leaving white ash. The fire is spreading quickly through grass and shrubs where wind and slope align, but it’s moving slower in heavy timber areas.

Modrite fire
The Modrite fire, which started July 18 by lightning, has remained just over 9,000 acres with 63% containment as of Monday morning.The fire, located 17 miles southwest of Inchelium, Washington, burned five structures, and Level 3 “go now” evacuations are in effect for Wilmont Creek Road, from Falls Creek Road to near Four Corners. Wilmont Road is closed at Twin Lak

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and Duke University are establishing two AED Drone launch sites in Walkertown and Pfafftown.

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