On August 3, local time, the wildfires in the suburbs of Spokane, the second-most populous city in Washington state in the US, have been burning for three days and have not been effectively controlled. The three fires have covered a total area of more than 32 square kilometers, destroyed at least 700 buildings, and forced the evacuation of about 65,000 people — more than a quarter of Spokane's population. The “Spokane wildfires” have been listed as the “highest priority for fighting fires” in the US. Local government officials said that as the fire spread from forest areas to residential and commercial development areas, “the wildfires have evolved into urban fires” and “an unknown number of people have been reported missing.” The Spokane mayor said bluntly: “We are evaluating the number of potential victims.” Currently, the northwestern region of the United States is facing a severe drought. Dozens of large-scale wildfires have been burning for weeks, causing air quality to deteriorate over a large area. According to statistics, a total of 44,722 wildfires have been recorded across the US since this year, which is the highest value in at least 10 years; the total area covered by the fire reached 21,000 square kilometers, which is the largest value since January to early August 2022. Scientists point out that the intensification of wildfire activity in North America, Europe and other places in recent years is largely due to human-induced climate change.

On August 3, local time, the wildfires in the suburbs of Spokane, the second-most populous city in Washington state in the US, have been burning for three days and have not been effectively controlled. The three fires have covered a total area of more than 32 square kilometers, destroyed at least 700 buildings, and forced the evacuation of about 65,000 people — more than a quarter of Spokane's population. The “Spokane wildfires” have been listed as the “highest priority for fighting fires” in the US. Local government officials said that as the fire spread from forest areas to residential and commercial development areas, “the wildfires have evolved into urban fires” and “an unknown number of people have been reported missing.” The Spokane mayor said bluntly: “We are evaluating the number of potential victims.” Currently, the northwestern region of the United States is facing a severe drought. Dozens of large-scale wildfires have been burning for weeks, causing air quality to deteriorate over a large area. According to statistics, a total of 44,722 wildfires have been recorded across the US since this year, which is the highest value in at least 10 years; the total area covered by the fire reached 21,000 square kilometers, the largest value from January to early August since 2022. Scientists have pointed out that the increase in wildfire activity in North America, Europe and other places in recent years is largely due to human-induced climate change.