Around 4,000 firefighters are battling more than a dozen wildfires across the state as officials warn that high temperatures and strong winds expected in the coming days could make containment increasingly difficult.
Ferguson declared the emergency and imposed a statewide burn ban on Saturday. No deaths or injuries linked to the fires had been reported as of Saturday.
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In Spokane, the Old Trails Fire had burned roughly 3,000 acres and threatened nearly 4,000 structures.
Authorities evacuated several critical facilities in the city, including a water treatment plant, a waste-to-energy facility and a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, according to Spokane officials.
Around 200 homes in Spokane had been evacuated by Saturday evening, although authorities warned that the number could rise as the fire situation develops.
The fires have also disrupted electricity supplies. Utility company Avista said about 60,000 customers in eastern Washington were without power.
The state’s wildfire crisis is significantly larger when fires from earlier in the summer are included. Officials said approximately 450,000 acres had burned across Washington since the start of the summer.
The Kaiser Canyon Fire, which has consumed about 134,000 acres, was the largest active wildfire in Washington.
With extreme heat and powerful winds forecast in the coming days, officials are warning that the fires could spread further and put additional communities and infrastructure at risk.
