The blazes have destroyed hundreds of structures and put tens of thousands under evacuation alerts. (AP PHOTO)The blazes have destroyed hundreds of structures and put tens of thousands under evacuation alerts. The blazes have destroyed hundreds of buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes since Saturday. The Spokane-area fires have scorched more than 4047 hectares on the northern fringe of the city, home to about 230,000 residents. Cooler conditions and calmer winds on Monday and Tuesday helped ground crews and firefighting aircraft to make significant strides in curtailing the blazes.