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Photos: Wildfires in Spokane lead to thousands of evacuations

NPR | By NPR Staff

Published August 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM EDT

Chris Mutton, left, whose house burned in a wildfire speaks with Shane Maggart on Aug. 2, 2026, in Spokane, Wash.

Firefighters in Spokane, Wash. have been battling three major wildfires that burned through more than 7,000 acres, destroyed some 600 homes and forced the evacuation of about 60,000 people.

The Old Trails Fire, the Autumn Lane Fire and the Fairview Fire are all burning near Spokane, which is Washington state's second-largest city with a population of more than 230,000.

Here are images of the areas affected by the fires:

Copyright 2026 NPR

The Old Trails Fire is seen from W. Northwest Blvd., on Aug. 1, 2026, in Spokane, Wash.

A burned car smolders in front of a burned out home in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Wash., on August 2, 2026.

Three members of the Spokane Fire Department sit on a curb in front of burned out homes in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Wash., on August 2, 2026.

A burned motorcycle sits in the ashes of a burned out home in the Balboa neighborhood of Spokane, Wash., on August 2, 2026.

Dan Munson and his wife Suzi Munson stand in the backyard of their house on W. TIffany Ave. which burned in a wildfire, on Aug. 2, 2026, in Spokane, Wash.

A burned structure smolders due to a wildfire, on Aug. 2, 2026, in Spokane, Wash.

Andrew Rowley watches Old Trails Fire from Dwight Merkel Sports Complex after evacuating, on Aug. 1, 2026, in Spokane, Wash.

A home on N. Victor St. and W. Lyons Ave. burned by a wildfire smolders on Aug. 2, 2026, in Spokane, Wash.

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NPR Staff

This story was compiled from reports by NPR News staff.

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