Eastern Washington fires have burned 600 structures and forced the evacuation of 5,000 homes

Wildfires raged across eastern Washington on Sunday, leaving an estimated 600 homes and businesses destroyed and forcing the evacuation of 5,000 residences. The blazes, which burned more than 8.2 square miles near Spokane, are among dozens stretching firefighting capabilities across the western United States.

Crews are battling the flames with bulldozers and helicopters, but the fires remain uncontained. The situation is compounded by dry weather and high winds, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph expected to make containment efforts more challenging. "We have weather working against us, and we have terrain working against us," said Benjamin Cossel, a public information officer for the federal response team.

The terrain, characterized by steep slopes and canyons around Spokane, acts like a funnel, pushing fires rapidly through the area. Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency Saturday, and the National Weather Service issued a "particularly dangerous situation" red flag alert for the region. No deaths have been reported in the Spokane area fires, but the destruction of structures is extensive.

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We have weather working against us, and we have terrain working against us.