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Tens of thousands of residents have been forced to flee as three fast-moving fires burned through forests and residential areas in Spokane, Washington, over the weekend. More than 600 structures have reportedly burned so far, and the fires remain uncontained.
August 3, 2026, 1:37 PM ET
Tyler Vanwert / Reuters
People watch as massive plumes of smoke rise from a wildfire in Spokane, Washington, on August 1, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social-media video.
David Ryder / Reuters
Wildfire smoke hangs in the sky above Spokane, Washington, as the Old Trails Fire burns nearby on August 3, 2026.
David Ryder / Reuters
A charred vehicle lies on the side of a road in Spokane on August 2, 2026.
Young Kwak / AP
Andrew Rowley watches the Old Trails Fire burning near the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex in Spokane on August 1, 2026.
Tyler Vanwert / Reuters
Smoke rises from one of several wildfires in the Spokane area on August 1, 2026.
Erick Doxey / AFP / Getty
A burned motorcycle sits in the ashes of a burned-out house in the Balboa neighborhood on August 2, 2026.
Young Kwak / AP
Dan Munson and his wife, Suzi Munson, stand in the backyard of their burned house on West Tiffany Avenue, on August 2, 2026.
David Ryder / Reuters
A damaged street sign remains in a neighborhood affected by one of the wildfires on August 2, 2026.
David Ryder / Reuters
Melted siding lies outside a property damaged by a wildfire in Spokane on August 2, 2026.
David Ryder / Reuters
Ash Sollie stands in front of her grandparents’ home, where she’d previously lived, after it was destroyed by a wildfire, on August 2, 2026.
David Ryder / Reuters
Water sprays over the charred remains of a burned property on August 2, 2026.
David Ryder / Reuters
A drone view shows wildfire smoke filling the sky above the Spokane River on August 2, 2026.
Erick Doxey / AFP / Getty
Melted metal sits pooled next to a burned-out car in the Balboa neighborhood on August 2, 2026.
Young Kwak / AP
Allen Sather and his wife, Kimberley, embrace at the duplex they rent on West Indian Trail Road after it burned in a wildfire on August 2, 2026.
Erick Doxey / AFP / Getty
A partially melted street sign sits in front of burned houses in the Balboa neighborhood on August 2, 2026.
Erick Doxey / AFP / Getty
The rubble of a burned house in the Balboa neighborhood on August 2, 2026
Erick Doxey / AFP / Getty
A Virgin Mary statue stands in a burned-out neighborhood in Spokane on August 2, 2026.
About the Author
Alan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.
