More than 65,000 people have been evacuated from their homes due to a wildfire raging in Washington state, the American Red Cross said. The fire has destroyed nearly 700 homes so far.
The Anadolu news agency reported that Spokane County was the hardest hit by the fires, where hundreds of homes were burned.
Spokane County police have arrested a man on suspicion of arson, which investigators believe is connected to a large blaze known as the Old Trails Fire.
Hundreds of firefighters are working to contain the blaze. While progress has been made in some areas due to favorable weather conditions, the fires in Spokane and Stevens counties are still far from being fully contained.
The fires, which began on Saturday, have so far burned about 8,000 acres (more than 3,200 hectares).
Meanwhile, the Sinlahekin fire, sparked by lightning, has burned about 85,000 acres, with more than 820 firefighters working to contain the blaze.
In addition, another wildfire called the Little Giant Fire has burned more than 51,000 acres in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
According to authorities, the fire situation in Washington has become more severe this year due to prolonged drought, intense heat waves and dry weather.
Source: Anadolu