Washington State Declares Statewide Emergency as Spokane Wildfires Threaten 4,000 Structures

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and imposed an immediate burn ban as the aggressive Old Trails wildfire raced through northwest Spokane, threatening nearly 4,000 structures. Driven by historic heat-dome temperatures and erratic winds, the fast-moving blaze scorched approximately 3,000 acres, jumping the Spokane River and forcing mandatory Level 3 evacuations for thousands of residents. Local officials confirmed that critical infrastructure, including a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, a water reclamation facility, and a waste-to-energy plant, faced mandatory evacuations. The National Weather Service maintained a rare "Particularly Dangerous Situation" Red Flag Warning across eastern and central Washington as over 4,000 state firefighting personnel deployed to combat more than a dozen large active blazes. Regional utility provider Avista executed emergency power shut-offs affecting roughly 60,000 customers to mitigate electrical spark hazards under extreme high-risk weather conditions.