Story perspectives

Washington Declares Emergency as Spokane Wildfires Destroy 700 Homes

8/4/2026

Summary

Story summary

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared an emergency as Spokane wildfires raged.
The three fires, ignited on Aug. 1 with 30-45 mph winds, burned 12.5 sq mi, destroyed 700 structures and forced 65,000 evacuations.
National Guard Major General Gent Welsh labeled the area a “war zone” and sent troops to fight the blazes.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delivered rescue supplies while outages left about 9,000 homes and over 10,000 customers without power.

History

Historical Context

On August 20-21 1910, drought-driven winds fused hundreds of fires into the Great Fire, burning three million acres in Idaho and Montana and killing 86 people. President William Howard Taft deployed about 4,000 troops, including the 25th Infantry’s Buffalo Soldiers, to aid the U.S. Forest Service led by Gifford Pinchot. The blaze triggered a federal budget increase and established a fire-suppression doctrine that still guides inter-agency response.

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Story summary

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared an emergency as Spokane wildfires raged.
The three fires, ignited on Aug. 1 with 30-45 mph winds, burned 12.5 sq mi, destroyed 700 structures and forced 65,000 evacuations.
National Guard Major General Gent Welsh labeled the area a “war zone” and sent troops to fight the blazes.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delivered rescue supplies while outages left about 9,000 homes and over 10,000 customers without power.

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