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Miriam Sim, 76, reacts as she walks through the burned remains of her neighborhood after a wildfire hit the northern part of Spokane, Wash., Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.

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Washington state fires destroy hundreds of buildings and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

Washington state fires destroy hundreds of buildings and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

Some residents returned to devastated neighborhoods in eastern Washington state to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend. Yards were covered in charred debris and in some cases only chimneys remained standing. The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, filled the sky with smoke and haze. Light winds and lower temperatures arrived Monday to help firefighters, but about 700 buildings had been destroyed and some 67,000 people were under evacuation orders. No deaths have been reported. The fires are among dozens that are straining firefighting resources across the Western U.S.