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Officials: about 60,000 evacuated in Spokane; no confirmed deaths and cause under investigation
Summary
City and fire officials said roughly 60,000 people had been evacuated within Spokane city limits and that more than 14,000 structures were in the Level 3 evacuation area; police reported no confirmed deaths at the time and fire authorities said the cause remains under investigation.
Police Chief Kevin Hall said the Level 3 evacuation zone included more than 14,000 structures and that "about 60,000 individuals were evacuated in that amount of time," calling the scale extraordinary and noting known choke points contributed to severe congestion during evacuations.
An emergency/public-safety official said there were no reported injuries or deaths "as of yet," but cautioned those figures could change as crews access active scenes and complete welfare checks. An incident fire official said the fire began in Fire District 10, moved through neighboring districts and that the cause is under investigation. "We don't know the cause. It's still under investigation," the fire official said.
Officials urged residents to report missing persons through Crime Check and said both the city and county law-enforcement agencies were conducting welfare checks. They also warned that containment and access will change as weather and fire activity evolve, and that additional structure-threat data will be released as incident command compiles assessments.
