Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) said on Sunday, August 2nd, 2026, that he spoke with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin regarding the wildfires sweeping across the state. Ferguson detailed the "dire and devastating situation" in Spokane and throughout Washington on the social platform X.

Ferguson noted that President Trump is aware of the crisis and expressed concern for the affected residents. The governor indicated ongoing collaboration for additional federal aid.

Currently, there are 14 active wildfires near Spokane, ranging in size from two football fields to 7,708 acres—approximately nine times the size of Central Park—according to Wildfire Trackers. The air quality in and around Spokane is reported to be in unhealthy ranges as of Monday, August 3rd, 2026, per the state's Department of Ecology.

The fires have destroyed over 700 homes and forced nearly 65,000 families to evacuate, Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove told CNN on Monday.

Earlier on Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Washington state's request for fire management assistance grants (FMAG) to respond to three of the fires. FEMA's Region 10 office confirmed that nine assistance grants have been approved for wildfires in Washington this year.

FMAGs provide funding to cover up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs for fires that threaten to become major disasters. Eligible expenses include field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies, and mobilization and demobilization activities related to firefighting. However, these grants do not provide direct assistance to homeowners or businesses.

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