Three large wildfires raced through neighborhoods in and around Spokane, Washington, the weekend of Aug. 1, 2026, destroying more than 600 homes and other structures and threatening many more. Tens of thousands of people, including patients at the Veterans Affairs medical center, were forced to evacuate as crews from across Washington and Idaho battled fires that continue to burn.
The origins of the fires were under investigation, but officials arrested a man on Aug. 3 on suspicion of arson in connection with one of them.
