Wildfires On Over 250,000 Acres Across Washington State Prompt Evacuations

Wildfires across more than a quarter of a million acres in Washington state have prompted widespread evacuations and power outages in the Spokane area, state officials said on Saturday evening.About 4,000 people were fighting more than a dozen fires throughout the state, Dave Upthegrove, the state's commissioner of public lands, said during a virtual press conference.Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and burn ban on Saturday morning. No injuries or fatalities related to the fire were known at this point, officials said.Spokane, home to about 230,000 residents of eastern Washington, is dealing with the Old Trails Fire, which Washington State Forester George Geissler said was active on 3,000 acres and threatened 4,000 structures.Some major facilities in Spokane have been evacuated, Mayor Lisa Brown said, including water reclamation facilities, a waste-energy plant and the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital.As of 3:30 p.m.