Nearly 12,000 residents have been evacuated as a wildfire spreads in Washington
The fire started on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m., officials said.
Nearly 12,000 residents and over 2,000 structures have been evacuated after a wildfire broke out Tuesday in Washington state, spreading to 250 acres. No injuries have been reported.
The fire was 0% contained as of Tuesday night.
Officials said there "was an urgent need for evacuations," in a press conference on Tuesday.
"Our teams are working hard to protect your homes. Stay out of the area. Please don't come back, that makes it very challenging for our crews," Spokane Fire District 9 Fire Chief Brian Mather said.
The active fire is expected to last a couple of days, according to Mather.
"Wind-driven fires are very, very dangerous. They're dangerous to work in. They move very rapidly," Mather said.
"We have a lot of fuel in that area, it's a very densely populated area, and it's tough conditions," Mather said.
There are 10 to 15 aircraft assigned to the fire with more expected, officials said.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he has been briefed on the fire and is monitoring the situation closely.
"I just requested a fire management assistance declaration from FEMA, which I expect to be approved this evening. This gives our state access to federal funding for extraordinary costs in fighting this fire," he wrote in a post on X.
The fire started on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m., according to Spokane County officials. A red flag warning was issued around 10:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Spokane Fire District said.
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