Firefighters battling a cluster of wildfires near Spokane, Washington, have established primary containment lines around the blazes, but crews are racing to strengthen defences ahead of another spell of hot and dry weather.
Officials said the fires, which have threatened the state’s second-largest city, have destroyed at least 700 homes and other buildings and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate since Saturday.
The three major fires have burned more than 10,000 acres on the northern edge of Spokane, a city of around 230,000 people near the Idaho border.
Fire command officials said crews are now focused on reinforcing containment lines, extinguishing remaining hot spots and reducing the risk of further damage near homes and other structures.
“Primary containment lines” have been established around the fires, but authorities said full containment has not yet been reached because wider areas around the fire perimeter still need to be cleared of vegetation.
A cooler period and calmer winds earlier in the week helped firefighters and aircraft make significant progress. However, officials warned that rising temperatures and dry conditions expected in the coming days could challenge those gains.
At the height of the fires, around 64,000 people were under evacuation orders as strong winds and unusually dry conditions pushed flames through neighbourhoods.
At least 700 structures have been destroyed, mostly homes, while another 400 buildings may have suffered significant damage, according to preliminary assessments.
No deaths have been reported, and officials said all 14 people initially reported missing in the fire zone had been found safe.
Authorities have arrested a local resident on suspicion of arson in connection with one of the three fires. The causes of the other two remain under investigation, although officials said none of the Spokane-area fires was caused by lightning.
The Spokane fires remain among the highest firefighting priorities in the United States, as dozens of major wildfires continue burning across the drought-affected Pacific Northwest.
The National Interagency Fire Center said 94 major wildfires were active across 13 states, with more than half located in Oregon and Washington.
Officials and scientists have linked the worsening wildfire conditions to prolonged drought and extreme heat, which have become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change.
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