LIND (AP) – A small town in Washington State was evacuated due to a fast-moving fire that burned half-dozen homes, as crews in California made progress against the state’s deadliest and largest wildfire of the year.
In Washington, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook on Thursday afternoon that residents of Lind needed to flee due to the encroaching flames.
“At this time all residents of the town of Lind need to evacuate immediately,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.
Sheriff Dale Wagner said six homes had burned as well as eight other structures. With the help of state and local resources, Wagner said the fire was starting to calm down and by 8pm all evacuation orders had been lifted.
“They will be fighting it through the night to make sure it doesn’t flare up anymore or get worse,” he said, adding that firefighters were dealing with high heat and windy conditions.
He said one firefighter suffered smoke inhalation and was flown to Spokane for treatment.
Lind is a community of about 500 people approximately 121 kilometres southwest of Spokane.
The State Fire Marshal’s office said the blaze had burned through about 10.1 square kilometres. Homes, infrastructure and crops were threatened.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
