‘Dynamic’ conditions fuel rapid growth
It was a devastating and terrifying weekend for people in the path of several major fires in the region, as powerful winds with gusts above 50 miles per hour whipped up flames, igniting spot fires miles away and prompting the immediate evacuation of tens of thousands of people across central and eastern Washington.
The most destructive fires occurred near Spokane, where three fires that erupted on Saturday (Aug. 1) — the Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane fires, called the Spokane Complex — burned at least 700 structures, according to the California Interagency Management Team. The fires are burning to the northwest, west and east of Spokane and in Stevens County. They had burned more than 10,000 acres as of Tuesday (Aug. 4)…