Urgent evacuation orders have forced thousands of Spokane residents from their homes as three rapidly spreading wildfires converge on the eastern Washington city of more than 230,000 people.
The Old Trails Fire poses the greatest danger, having scorched more than 3,500 acres since igniting Saturday afternoon, August 1, 2026. By early Sunday morning, the blaze had prompted Level 3 evacuation orders across multiple Spokane neighborhoods—the highest alert level, instructing residents to "Leave NOW! This may be your only notice."
Jessica Walston, a spokesperson for the Washington Department of Natural Resources, informed CNN overnight that as many as 5,000 structures face potential destruction from the Old Trails Fire alone. The blaze ignited at Riverside State Park in the northwestern section of Spokane.
Two additional fires—the Fairview and Autumn Lane blazes—are burning simultaneously in the region. All three have been fueled by powerful winds and exceptionally low humidity levels.
"I was sitting near an elementary school and saw a wall of flames east of the school and just a cascade of black smoke and a wall of flames coming toward me," Alexandra Duggan, who covers public safety for The Spokesman-Review newspaper in Spokane, told NPR.
The Washington National Guard deployed 30 personnel late Saturday night to support local emergency responders. The Guard announced the mobilization through a Facebook post, stating the troops would be available to Spokane authorities for emerging needs.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson issued a statewide wildfire emergency declaration on Saturday and announced plans to visit Spokane on Sunday morning. "If you are in the area, please continue to be vigilant and follow directions of emergency personnel," Ferguson said, according to NPR.
Spokane officials have opened the city's convention center to shelter displaced residents. Nearly 11,000 utility customers experienced power outages as of 6 a.m. Sunday, with more than 8,000 of those concentrated in Spokane County, according to live tracking data from Avista Utilities.
The crisis unfolds against the backdrop of Washington's record-breaking statewide drought. Governor Ferguson implemented a comprehensive burn ban on Saturday that prohibits nearly all outdoor burning activities, including campfires unless they are contained within designated structures like fire rings, along with fires used for disposing of trash, clearing land, burning yard waste, and recreational bonfires.
"Our record-setting drought and high winds are creating dangerous conditions across the state," Ferguson said, according to NPR.
Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove reported Saturday that firefighting crews were battling 10 large fires statewide. Mapping data showed dozens of fires burning across Washington as of Sunday morning.
The 2026 fire season has already proven historic in scope. Through the end of July, approximately 425,000 acres have burned across more than 1,000 separate fires throughout Washington—the highest acreage total since 2021, per Department of Natural Resources data.
"This year has already been one of our busiest wildfire years on record, and we just started August," Upthegrove said, according to NPR. "Our firefighters are already stretched thin across the state, and with more heat and wind expected this weekend and for the rest of the summer."
"Any new spark on our tinder dry landscapes can lead to another devastating wildfire," he added, according to NPR. "I'm urging all Washingtonians to not be that spark."
