65 Thousand People Displaced and 700 Houses Destroyed Due to Forest Fires in Washington State

US land fires. (Wikimedia Commons/Bureau of Land Management)

JAKARTA - More than 65,000 people have left their homes in Washington State, United States, as wildfires continue to ravage the region, destroying hundreds of buildings.

"As many as 65,000 people were forced to flee," the American Red Cross confirmed on Monday, quoted by Anadolu (4/8).

The organization noted that initial assessments showed that the fire had burned more than 700 houses, mainly in the Spokane County area.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at a news conference authorities have arrested a man on a first-degree arson charge.

The suspect is suspected to be related to the Old Trails Fire, one of several fires currently threatening the area.

Meanwhile, the Spokane Complex Fire Incident Management Team reported that better weather allowed teams to make progress on the fire front.

Data from the InciWeb interagency system shows that fires near the Spokane and Stevens areas have burned 8,026 acres (3,248 hectares) since they started on Saturday. The fire is currently still completely out of control (0 percent).

Other parts of the state face greater threats. The Sinlahekin fire has expanded to 85,000 hectares (34,398 hectares) since it was triggered by lightning on July 26.

More than 820 personnel are fighting to put out the fire, which is also out of control.

Meanwhile, the Little Giant Fire in northwest Leavenworth has burned 51,298 acres (20,759 hectares) in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.