Wildfires rage across Washington as drought and heat fuel painful summer: ‘It’s not normal’

Hundreds of structures damaged as firefighters battle to contain 15 major wildfires amid extreme heat and drought Firefighters in Washington state are battling wildfires that have forced 60,000 people to flee and destroyed hundreds of buildings as drought and extreme heat fuel an “extraordinary” fire season in the Pacific north-west. Fifteen major blazes are raging across the state, David Upthegrove, the head of Washington’s department of natural resources, told reporters over the weekend. “It’s not a normal season,” he said. “A confluence of weather conditions, a confluence of fires throughout the west, are stretching our resources and challenging the individuals in this response.” Spokane, a city of 230,000 in north-eastern Washington near the Idaho border, has been particularly hard hit, with three fires burning in the area. While no deaths have been reported, officials confirmed that at least 600 structures had been damaged or destroyed and that none of the fires are contained. The fires around Spokane forced rapid evacuations and prompted officials to open emergency shelters to support some of the 60,000 people displaced. “Driving around looking at the homes