If you think that you are safe from wildfires because you live in a city, Spokane, Washington is showing that it is not necessarily true. The New York Post reports:
The Old Trails Fire ignited Saturday and quickly became one of the most destructive fires in Washington history as powerful winds, drought conditions and extreme heat fueled explosive growth.
Together with several other major fires burning around Spokane, the blazes have destroyed at least 700 structures, scorched roughly 12.5 square miles and prompted evacuation orders affecting about 67,000 people.
Residents allowed back into some neighborhoods Monday were met with scenes of almost unimaginable destruction. Entire streets had been reduced to ash, with burned-out vehicles, twisted metal and collapsed homes stretching block after block. In many cases, only brick chimneys remained standing.
Additionally, "[a]s of Sunday nearly 10,000 customers were without power and another 5,300 customers were without natural gas." The New York Post article indicates that a suspected arsonist has been arrested for setting one of the fires--the Old Trails Fire. (More at this Fox affiliate).
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