'Catastrophic' Washington fires destroy hundreds of structures and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

Wildfires in eastern Washington destroyed at least 600 structures and forced 60,000 people to evacuate as firefighters battled multiple blazes across the Pacific Northwest. (AP) — 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, covering yards in charred debris. In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, had burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday and filled the sky with smoke and haze.

Light winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but about 700 buildings had been destroyed and some 67,000 people were under evacuation orders.In one Spokane neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.Among those who returned were Miriam and Daniel Sim, both 76. Miriam held her hand over her mouth as she surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005."It’s like a war zone,” Miriam said.

“There’s nothing to save.”“At our age, do we want to rebuild?” her husband asked.No deaths or major injuries have been reported so farCpl. Mark Gregory, a spokesperson for the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, said the county initially received nearly 300 reports of missing people, but by Monday they had cleared all but 14.Those outstanding reports more likely represented people who had not been in contact since evacuating than people who were truly missing or in danger, authorities said.The Spokane-area wildfires were completely uncontained, said Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.They were among dozens across the Western U.S. stretching the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them.

At least 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) has burned across Washington.Authorities warned people not to fly drones near the burned areas, saying it could force them to delay aerial firefighting operations.Homes, cars, possessions lost in flamesAngela and Wayde Deatherage, both 49, evacuated shortly after 3 p.m. Saturday with a son, grabbing a few bins of family photos and heirloom rings but not much else. Roughly 30 minutes later, their security camera was sending fire notifications to Angela’s phone.Wayde Deatherage took some bac…