Wildfires near Spokane have burned thousands of acres and displaced many more

NPR | By Kirk Siegler,

Ailsa Chang

Published August 3, 2026 at 4:31 PM EDT

Wildfires near Spokane, Wash., have burned at least 7,000 acres, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people.

Kirk Siegler

As a correspondent on NPR's national desk, Kirk Siegler covers rural life, culture and politics from his base in Boise, Idaho.

See stories by Kirk Siegler

Ailsa Chang

Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist and a host of NPR’s newsmagazine All Things Considered, as well as NPR’s daily news podcast Consider This.

See stories by Ailsa Chang

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