US Wildfires Expand: Over 100,000 Hectares Engulfed in Flames

The US state of Washington is battling massive wildfires that have led to large-scale evacuations. Thousands of firefighters are fighting the flames, while 60,000 people are left without electricity, and a state of emergency has been declared across the state. The state's natural resources commissioner, Dave Upthegrove, announced that approximately 4,000 personnel are responding to more than a dozen fires across the state. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency and a ban on outdoor burning. The Old Trails Fire in Spokane, a city of approximately 230,000 people, has spread to 1,200 hectares and is threatening around 4,000 structures. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown stated that some critical facilities, including water treatment plants, a waste-to-energy facility, and the Veterans Affairs Hospital, have been evacuated. Authorities reported that since the start of summer, approximately 182,000 hectares have burned in the state. The largest fire, the Kaiser Canyon Fire, has reached around 54,000 hectares.