Entire neighborhoods of Spokane, a city in the northwestern state of Washington, were ravaged by flames in what authorities called Monday the most destructive fire in the state's history. None of the three fires, the origin of which is unknown, is currently under control.

Published on: 08/03/2026 - 1:09 p.m. Modified on: 08/04/2026 - 10:00 a.m.

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The fight continues against the fires on Monday August 3 in the American northwest, where the flames razed entire neighborhoods of the city of Spokane and forced more than 65,000 people to evacuate.

No deaths have yet been reported and the origin of these forest fires is still unknown. But authorities point out that they spread because of strong winds and after four years of drought in Washington state.

A 37-year-old man has been arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of starting the Old Trails fire, the largest of three ongoing fires, Spokane County Police Chief John Nowels said Monday.

“Simply heartbreaking”

Arrested for the first time on Saturday then released, he was arrested again after investigators made the link with the incident. A witness had previously claimed to have seen him kneeling in the grass where the fire started. “He had waterproof matches and a butane lighter on him when he was arrested,” John Nowel said. The alleged arsonist, Aaron Farnacci, has already been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Arizona, he said.

Between 700 and 1,100 buildings appear to have been destroyed in Spokane, according to a provisional report. On site, residents are devastated by the houses reduced to ashes, of which often only the chimney remains.

“It’s just heartbreaking,” Geoff Beadles, who had to urgently evacuate with his fiancée and their two dogs, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “Driving around the neighborhood and seeing all these houses... It’s one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

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Residents called for patience

The affected neighborhoods look like “a war zone,” Major General Gent Welsh of the Washington State National Guard told the press on Monday. “It’s still very dangerous,” he warned.

None of the three fires threatening this city of 230,000 inhabitants, located a four-hour drive from Seattle, have yet been contained. Firefighters hope that the temporary drop in temperatures and winds will allow them to make progress. But the mercury is expected to rise again by the end of the week, which is causing concern among the authorities.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown called on residents who would like to return home to be “patient.” “This could take several weeks, depending on the location of your home and property,” she insisted.

Authorities are also trying to contact 14 people they have not yet been able to reach by telephone, explained Sheriff John Nowels. They are not considered extinct at this stage.

The residents who managed to evacuate remain marked by their hasty escape among hundreds of cars. “I panicked,” Tena Risley told AFP. "I took my dog ​​and went to get some things from my house. I didn't even know what to take."

At the forefront of climate change

Like the rest of the American West, Washington State is on the front lines of climate change. This disaster comes after "one of the warmest winters recorded in the east of the state" and is "the most destructive in the history of Washington State", underlines Daniel Swain, specialist in extreme events at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

The disaster corresponds to “a recurring pattern that we observe again, again and again,” notes the climatologist, who compares the scenes of destruction in Spokane to those currently experienced in France and Spain, in Los Angeles last year and in Hawaii in 2023. “It is frankly frustrating to see this scenario continue to repeat itself constantly in such a harmful way for so many people,” he regrets.

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Washington State is currently experiencing 16 large fires that have ravaged more than 106,000 hectares of land, David Upthegrove, director of the state's Department of Natural Resources, recalled Monday. “It’s an exceptional fire season” in the state and more broadly in the American northwest, he insisted.

Governor hopes for federal aid

Neighboring Oregon is currently experiencing more than thirty major fires, which have ravaged more than 405,000 hectares in two weeks and caused the evacuation of several thousand residents of rural areas.

Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency on Saturday to combat the flames. He also called for emergency aid from the federal government to facilitate relief, debris removal, accommodation of evacuees and care.

Since returning to power, Donald Trump has several times threatened to cut or limit this aid to Democratic states that do not apply his policies, particularly on immigration.

But the governor appeared confident, after speaking to the American president and his cabinet. “I'm very optimistic that they will grant it, hopefully, very soon,” he said.

With AFP

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