One Dead, 185 Structures Destroyed in Eastern Washington Wildfire

A wind-driven wildfire in eastern Washington state had destroyed at least 185 structures, closed a major highway and left one person dead over the weekend.

The blaze began shortly after midday Friday on the west side of Medical Lake, about 15 miles west of Spokane, and then expanded, Washington State Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Isabelle Hoygaard said.

It grew to nearly 15 square miles by Saturday morning, with zero containment. The burned structures were a mix of homes and outbuildings.

Evacuations were ordered for the town as winds blew the flames southward, Hoygaard said.

She added that the blaze burned through the south side of the town and then jumped Interstate 90 on Friday night, forcing its closure. The major east-west thoroughfare remained closed in both directions Saturday morning.

There was one confirmed fatality associated with the fire, Hoygaard said. Further details were not immediately released.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Numbers Washington