PHOTOS: Devastating wildfires burned more than 5,300 acres in Spokane County, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced at least 60,000 people to evacuate. Gov. Bob Ferguson was there on Sunday to see the impact as he requests both short- and long-term federal help.

Katie Sullivan, of Spokane, told KOMO News she’s grateful her parents and pets are safe, but it was a difficult Saturday afternoon and night trying to evacuate.

A Sunday morning drive northwest of downtown Spokane revealed the Spokane Complex Fire had ravaged countless homes in her parents’ neighborhood. Their family home of 15 years was one of just a few still standing on the block. “We are one of the lucky ones. There was fire retardant dropped on top of the house and the cars,” Sullivan explained.

Less than a day earlier, she helped her parents evacuate as the flames crept closer, and she said they were temporarily stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. “There was a moment of fear I think I’ve never felt before in my life where a cloud of smoke comes and blocks the sun and you can hear things exploding (and) catching fire,” Sullivan explained. “There (was) nowhere to go. We did get out: families, pets. All things that are precious and important.”

KOMO-TV ABC 4 Seattle

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VIDEO: A routine emergency call became a memorable moment for the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department.

Engine 1 responded to a crash scene with an all-women crew, marking a proud moment for the department and the firefighters behind the helmets.

The crew helped secure the accident scene, checked on those involved and worked alongside other first responders. The crash resulted in only minor injuries, and emergency crews were able to quickly clear the roadway.

While the responsibilities of the job remained the same, the call highlighted the women who serve their community and respond when help is needed.

For the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department, the moment was a reminder of the dedication and teamwork shared by every firefighter who answers the call.

KIII-TV ABC 3 Corpus Christi

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: A large fire broke out at the vacant Centennial Mills building in Portland’s Pearl District, with crews first responding sometime around 3:50 p.m. Sunday.

Portland Fire & Rescue reported at about 4 p.m. that crews were on-scene at the warehouse in the 1300 block of Northwest Naito Parkway near the Fremont Bridge, where “significant brown smoke” was “pushing out under pressure on all sides.” A second alarm was requested.

The agency said the warehouse was considered an unsafe building and that “no interior firefighting activity will occur,” with crews taking “only exterior defensive actions.”

Portland Fire & Rescue later reported heavy fire throughout the warehouse and requested a third alarm. The agency said plans were being put in place to establish safe positioning for firefighters because of concerns about a possible structural collapse. There were reports of a grass fire adjacent the structure, on top of the large commercial fire, PF&R said.

The agency said it has requested for a complete shutdown of Naito Parkway.

KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland

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VIDEO/PHOTOS: Hundreds of homes were lost in a series of fires that broke out in the Spokane area in the afternoon of August 1. First responders mobilized quickly on three fires, the Old Trails Fire north of Airway Heights, Autumn Lane Fire near Five Mile Falls and the Fairview Fire near Mead.

A “particularly dangerous situation” alert was set for Saturday for red flag conditions in the region that helped the fires grow to thousands of acres Saturday. Evacuations were issued for many homes in the area, and crews worked throughout the night to protect structures.

The total combined size for the three fires making up the Spokane Area Fires is 8,026 acres. The Old Trails Fire is burning 3,619 acres, the Autumn Lane Fire is around 3,351 acres in size, and the Fairview Fire is burning around 1,046 acres.

According to California Interagency Incident Management Team 7, the total number of structures impacted is more than 600. However, “impacted” does not necessarily mean completely destroyed. More than 900 firefighters are working the Spokane Area Fires on Monday. That number is expected to grow to more than 2000 this week.

Incident command said a major emphasis Monday is keeping drones out of the sky after 26 incidents of interference on Sunday. If drones are in the sky, air attack on the fires has to be halted until the situation is clear.

KHQ-TV NBC 6 Spokane

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized the use of federal funds to help with firefighting costs for several fires burning in Washington. The funding will be used to help fight the Sinlahekin Fire burning in Okanogan County, the Fairview Fire burning in Steven County, and the Autumn Lane Fire burning in Spokane County. These are the seventh, eighth, and ninth declarations in 2026 to help fight fires burning in our state.

The fires are threatening homes in and around Tonasket, Loomis, Mead, and Suncrest. The Sinlahekin Fire is also threatning state-owned dams, a wastewater treatment plant, raw water reservoirs, finished water systems, and microwave sites, as well as the Washington State University radio infrastructure and the Tonasket Police Department headquarters. The fire has damaged the major power transmission line that supplies power to approximately half of Okanagon County.

The Fairview Fire is threatening private utilities, the Bonneville Power Administration power lines, railway, and farms. The Autumn Lane Fire is also threatening utilities, state and local parks, schools, a ranger station, fire district buildings, county microwave transmitters, a bridge, water district structures, grocery stores, and family care centers.

The approval makes funding available to pay up to 75 percent of a state’s eligible firefighting costs for fires that threaten to become major disasters. Eligible items can include expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies, and mobilization and demobilization activities attributed to fighting the fire. These grants do not assist individual home or business owners and do not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

KIRO-TV CBS 7 Seattle

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