Apocalyptic scenes emerged from Washington state where wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands and 3,000 acres were burned, killing at least one.
The Gray Fire began around noon Friday and hours later swept through 4.7 square miles of grass, woods and wheat driven by 35-mile-per-hour winds, the state’s Department of Natural Resources said. State of Washington.
Medical Lake and Four Lakes, about 15 miles southwest of Spokane, have a combined population of 5,000 – the local mayor has warned residents to “get out now!” as the fire continued to threaten these communities.
A red flag warning, meaning critical fire conditions are occurring or will soon occur, is expected to go into effect Saturday around 10 a.m. for eastern Washington state and northern Idaho, said the National Weather Service.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said khq that at least one person had died in connection with the Gray Fire, but the circumstances remain unclear.
Apocalyptic scenes emerged from Washington state where wildfires forced the evacuation of thousands and 3,000 acres were burned, killing at least one. This image shows the gray light shot from a Southwest plane coming in to land at Spokane Airport
At 7 a.m. Saturday morning, Spokane County Emergency Management reduced the threat level to 2, “Be Prepared!” » near Granite Lake, Tyler and Malloy Prairie and I-90 south.
But the fires seemed to continue to rage in other parts of the region.
Washington State Department of Natural Resources Joe Smillie told the New York Times that the massive fire destroyed several structures at Medical Lake, but those numbers have yet to be quantified.
As of Friday evening, there was no percent containment of the wildfires and officials have yet to issue updates for Saturday.
The Mayor of the Town of Medical Lake, Terri Cooper, warned residents and posted on Facebook, “All Medical Lake Citizens Get Out Now.”
“We are under Level 3 evacuations. If you need transportation, buses are available at the Medical Lake High School baseball field,” she said.
“They’ll take you to Cheney High School (Red Cross evacuation shelter). Small pets are ok. If you need help with large animals, please contact 911 and they will help you. Please stay diligent and safe.
Hours later, the city issued a boiled water alert saying it was “not sure about the water.”
“We are unsure of the water quality, so to be sure, we ask our customers to boil the water until we can restore the system and test the water to ensure that it is drinkable,” they posted on Facebook.
Washington State Department of Natural Resources Joe Smillie said the huge fire destroyed several structures at Medical Lake, but those numbers have yet to be quantified.
The gray fire began around noon Friday and hours later swept through 4.7 square miles of grass, woods and wheat driven by 35-mile-per-hour winds, killing at least one
The Gray Fire led to the evacuation of thousands of people and received a level 3 fire warning – some of these areas from 7am on Saturday were reduced to level 2
“We will have to take steps to assess the water system and test the water. We will notify customers when the water can be drunk without boiling.
Terrifying videos and images emerged from the area overnight, with some revealing the extent of the ferocious fire.
In a video posted to TikTok from a plane flying over Medical Lake, large areas lit up by the fire could be seen.
The area appeared to be consumed by smoke with another video showing burning buildings sitting on the edge of the lake as embers and ash rose from the sites.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources also warned that high winds could bring the fire that burned in the B.C. waterfalls to the United States.
The fire, the Crater Creek Fire, has burned at least 54,000 acres since it started in July.
“We have a long night ahead of us, but please protect yourself,” tweeted Hilary Franz, commissioner of public lands in Washington.
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources has also warned that high winds could bring the fire burning at the waterfalls in British Columbia to the United States.
Further north, most residents of Yellowknife, a city of 20,000 in the Northwest Territories, were forced to flee as a wildfire approached the city limits.
“We will focus on bringing these fast-moving fires under control.”
In Canada, the western province of British Columbia was under a state of emergency order early Saturday due to dangerous wildfires.
Some homes on the outskirts of Kelowna, a major resort area, were on fire and a few were destroyed.
In a video posted on TikTok, residents could be seen in a boat as they watched homes and buildings burn to ashes.
Further north, most residents of Yellowknife, a city of 20,000 in the Northwest Territories, were forced to flee as a wildfire neared the city limits.
Videos show the blaze exploding in the nearby forest as vehicles attempt to escape the burning area.
