The Brief
- A fast-moving wildfire in eastern Washington forced about 1,500 residents to evacuate and destroyed at least 15 homes.
- Officials say one person has been reported missing, but crews have not been able to safely search the fire zone.
- The cause of the fire remains under investigation, and authorities are concerned that increasing winds could worsen conditions.
High winds drove a wildfire into an eastern Washington neighborhood, forcing the evacuation of about 1,500 people and destroying at least 15 homes, officials said Wednesday.
One person was reported missing by a family member but officials were unable to go into the fire zone to search for them because the conditions remained dangerous Wednesday afternoon, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said during a press conference.
“They have a location to look but it’s not safe to look there at the moment,” Nowels said.
Many people living in the densely populated neighborhoods had to flee on a moment’s notice — sometimes after an officer knocked on their door — leaving behind belongings and in some cases, critical medications, Nowels said. People were being escorted Wednesday by an officer to their homes one-by-one to access those essential needs, but then they were taken back out, Nowels said.…