2026 Washington state wildfires
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
Thousands of evacuees allowed to return home in Spokane area
An updated map was posted at 1:30 p.m.
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in the Spokane area due to fires.
The evacuations lasted for nine days as of the announcement.
Spokane wildfire arson suspect arrested
No deaths or injuries have been confirmed from the wildfires.
Aaron Farinacci told investigators he waited for a hot, dry, and windy day to light the blaze.
The Spokane fire forced more than 60,000 people to evacuate and destroyed more than 700 buildings.
Man accused of starting Gann Fire has prior fire-related offense from 2018
Cal Fire arrested Smith for recklessly causing a fire and submitted the case to the Calaveras County District Attorney's Office.
Herbert Wayne Smith, 65, of Valley Springs, was arrested and accused of recklessly starting the Gann Fire in Calaveras County.
The Calaveras County sheriff declared a local emergency in response to the fire.
“That was never my intent. I was just out there trying to get some money together, and it turned into this.”
New wildfire sparks west of Spokane with evacuation order
The Charles fire is burning in a relatively rural area with homes nearby.
Reports of the Charles fire came in around 1:51 p.m. near the intersection of Long Lake Road and Sparrow Lane.
A fourth wildfire sparked in the Spokane area on Wednesday afternoon.
“I feel better at least seeing what it’s doing than sitting there wondering, waiting for an alert to go off.”
Spokane County fires overview
Washington wildfire arson suspect linked to multiple blazes
The man accused of sparking the biggest of three wildfires in Spokane has a long history of mental health issues.
Wildfires in British Columbia, Canada forced more than 8,000 people to evacuate and destroyed over 230 homes.
No deaths or injuries had been confirmed as of the reporting date.
Washington state wildfires force mass evacuations
More than 10,000 electricity customers were left without power on Sunday.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency and requested federal assistance.
Governor Ferguson issued a statewide ban on all outdoor fires on Monday.
“Our firefighters are already stretched thin across the state, and with more heat and wind expected this weekend and for the rest of the summer, any new spark on our tinder dry landscapes can lead to another devastating wildfire.”
Eastern Washington wildfires burn 600 structures, force evacuation of 5,000 homes
A fire in western Idaho and eastern Oregon has burned nearly 525 square miles of grassland and is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered Sunday evening for the southern portion of Fillmore, Utah.
About 400 people were staying at a shelter set up at Spokane's main convention center.
“It’s very, very hilly, very, very steep slopes, a lot of canyons that create really turbulent, really challenging sort of wind scenarios.”
Washington declares statewide emergency, bans most outdoor burning amid wildfire threat
More than 1,000 fires have burned about 425,000 acres in Washington this year, the highest acreage burned since 2021.
Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide emergency on Saturday in response to drought conditions, high temperatures, high winds, and wildfires.
The Modrite Fire has burned 40,625 acres and is 22% contained.
“Our record-setting drought and high winds are creating dangerous conditions across the state,”