Three large wildfires raced through neighborhoods in and around Spokane, Washington, the weekend of Aug. 1, 2026, destroying at least 700 homes and other structures and threatening many more. Tens of thousands of people, including patients at a Veterans Affairs medical center, were forced to evacuate as the fires spread.
The origins of the fires were under investigation, though authorities arrested a man on Aug. 3 on suspicion of arson in connection with one of them.
Residents knew they faced a high risk that any fires that did start that weekend could quickly spread. One day before the fires broke out, the National Weather Service declared a rare “particularly dangerous situation” warning for the Spokane region, the first of its kind in Washington state.
Historically, fire officials have issued red flag warnings to indicate critical fire weather conditions, including low humidity and strong winds in conjunction with dry vegetation that could support the rapid spread of fires. A “particularly dangerous situation” alert elevates that warning, indicating a high risk of damage from an extremely rare and hazardous event.
Read the full article on The Conversation
Suggested citation: Mojtaba Sadegh, John Abatzoglou. “Why the Spokane wildfires became so catastrophic.” The Conversation, 3 August 2026. https://doi.org/10.64628/AAI.4ayweqmfu
