Wildfires driven by fierce winds and parched conditions tore through Spokane this weekend, leaving neighborhoods charred and officials saying hundreds of structures have been destroyed. Authorities ordered thousands of residents to evacuate Saturday and through the night into Sunday as three separate blazes erupted in and around the city in eastern Washington state. In the lead-up, the National Weather Service (NWS) cautioned that the region faced “extremely critical fire weather conditions,” pointing to strong winds combined with exceptional dryness. The blaze there, he noted, is “one of 15 major fires burning throughout the state of Washington right now”. “A confluence of weather conditions, a confluence of fires throughout the West, are stretching our resources and challenging the individuals in this response.”