Raging Washington state wildfires destroy homes and force 60,000 people to evacuate

Firefighters in Washington state are battling wildfires that have forced 60,000 people to flee and destroyed hundreds of buildings as drought and extreme heat fuel an “extraordinary” fire season in the Pacific north-west.

Fifteen major blazes are raging across the state, David Upthegrove, the head of Washington’s department of natural resources, told reporters over the weekend.

“It’s not a normal season,” he said. “A confluence of weather conditions, a confluence of fires throughout the west, are stretching our resources and challenging the individuals in this response.”

Spokane, a city of 230,000 in north-eastern Washington near the Idaho border, has been particularly hard hit, with three fires burning in the area.

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