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Police: about 60,000 evacuated; shelters and fairgrounds open as chokepoints hamper exits
Summary
Police Chief Kevin Hall said Level 3 evacuation zones included more than 14,000 structures and that roughly 60,000 people were evacuated from city limits during the Spokane complex fires. Officials opened the convention-center shelter, prepared fairgrounds for responders and warned residents to follow evacuation orders.
The city reported large-scale evacuations as emergency managers scrambled to move residents out of threatened areas and to open shelter capacity.
"About 60,000 individuals were evacuated in that amount of time," Police Chief Kevin Hall said, adding the Level 3 evacuation area contains over 14,000 structures and that roughly 10,000 of those are single- or multi-family residences. Chief Hall and other officials said the high evacuation numbers strained known choke points and contributed to severe traffic congestion.
State Senator Marcus Richele, who said he was evacuated from 5 Mile Prairie, described limited routes off the prairie and praised officers who directed traffic: "I did see citizens getting out, directing traffic in a way that made it orderly... By the time I hit the bottom of Cedar And Ash, 2 SPD officers were, directing traffic in a way that was heroic." He urged residents to evacuate immediately when ordered and to remain calm to avoid creating additional hazards.
Where to go: county officials said fairgrounds are being prepared as staging and responder space and that the Red Cross is operating an evacuation center at the convention center with capacity; the county also posted official evacuation maps via Spokane Regional Emergency Communications. Officials advised residents to check the county emergency page and use the shelter system or the navigation center when needed.
