Wildfires near Spokane, Washington, have destroyed entire neighbourhoods and forced hundreds of people into emergency shelters, illustrating the increasing scale and severity of modern fire seasons. The crisis matters because it has displaced vulnerable residents, including older people and carers, while emergency officials warn that such events are likely to begin earlier, last longer and worsen as the climate changes.

A dry winter, extreme drought and heat waves helped create conditions for widespread fires across the Pacific Northwest, with Oregon nearing 2 million acres burned and Washington recording more than 500,000 acres burned and at least 65,000 evacuation orders. Three major fires around Spokane destroyed more than 700 buildings by Monday, although no deaths or missing people had been reported; limited snowfall and early snowmelt left vegetation exceptionally dry, while strong winds carried embers several miles from a large central Washington fire.