2026, Weekend, Destroying at Least 600 Homes and Other Structures and Forcing Tens of Thousands of People, Including Patients at a Veterans

Three large wildfires tore through neighborhoods in and around Spokane, Washington, over the Aug. 1-2, 2026, weekend, destroying at least 600 homes and other structures and forcing tens of thousands of people, including patients at a Veterans Affairs medical center, to evacuate. The National Weather Service had issued a rare "particularly dangerous situation" warning a day earlier, the first of its kind in Washington state, signaling an extreme fire risk.

The blazes, collectively called the Spokane Complex Fire, stemmed from a convergence of factors: a historic 2026 snow drought left forests drier than normal, spring rains fueled vegetation growth that later became highly flammable, and a dry cold front on Aug. 1 brought sustained winds of 15-25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph and low humidity. By Aug.

3, the fires had scorched more than 8,000 acres (about 12.5 square miles) and were still burning. Nationwide, more than 44,000 wildfires had burned over 5 million acres by that date, well above the 10-year average, including a blaze along the Utah-Colorado border that killed three firefighters in June. The Spokane fires were notable for burning largely in the wildland-urban interface, where homes intermingle with forests and grasslands, allowing flames to spread from vegetation to structures and then from house to house. Fire scientists say this reflects a broader trend of more U.S. homes facing wildfire risk.