A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Three fires are closing in on Spokane, Washington, forcing thousands to evacuate. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell called the damage historic. Here's Northwest Public Broadcasting's Anna King.
ANNA KING, BYLINE: Heading into the weekend, the National Weather Service warned that fire conditions were going to be some of the most dangerous the state had ever seen. Saturday night, three massive fires burned into Spokane. By Sunday night, the fires had burned more than 7,000 acres, and around 60,000 people had to flee their homes under evacuation orders. Hedges were singed. Trees turned to skeletons. And just brick chimneys, concrete bird baths and ashes is all that's left of homes in many neighborhoods. Alicia Davidson (ph) and her husband's home was destroyed. Davidson is pregnant and was dreaming of growing her family there.
ALICIA DAVIDSON: Just to have everything gone and to know that, like, shoot. Like, we have to completely start over. We have nothing. You know, like, all the things that could have been in the home that we were building and growing in, like, just, like, sucks.
KING: Among the things she lost - her wedding dress, her family jewelry, her 20 pet fish. The cause of the fires is unknown, but high winds and hot, dry air fan the flames. Officials say more than 600 structures burned, and it'll take days before they can get the full picture. Hundreds of people, including many elderly, are staying at the Red Cross shelter in downtown Spokane. People were being given sack lunches by Red Cross volunteers. Nursing staff helped people change their clothes behind blankets. Some elders needed oxygen masks. People were talking in low voices, tired from not sleeping well in a crowded convention center.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson said in a press conference that the state is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get disaster assistance.
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BOB FERGUSON: There are just so many Washingtonians who have literally lost everything in a very, very short period of time. Just in a matter of hours, their lives changed in deeply dramatic and fundamental ways.
KING: Firefighters from out of state and local agencies have been working for more than 24 hours straight. One crew just sat exhausted on a curbside, covered in soot, making sure no new fires started.
For NPR News, I'm Anna King in Spokane. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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