Fast-moving wildfires have scorched more than 250,000 acres across Washington state, forcing widespread evacuations in the area around Spokane. The fires are among the largest to hit the Pacific Northwest in recent years.
Communities across the border in British Columbia, Canada, are also facing threats as the blazes spread. Evacuation orders have been issued across multiple zones in both regions, according to Al Jazeera.
The fires are spreading as the United Nations has issued warnings about worsening global heat, conditions that have contributed to extreme fire weather across the western United States and Canada this summer.
Spokane sits in eastern Washington state, a region that has experienced prolonged dry conditions and high temperatures in recent weeks. Fast-moving fires in dry terrain have made containment efforts difficult for crews working on both sides of the border.
No additional details on casualties, structures lost, or containment figures were immediately available from the initial reports.
