SPOKANE, Wash. — Wildfires driven by high winds forced 60,000 people from their homes in the Spokane area over the weekend and destroyed at least 600 homes, businesses and other buildings, authorities said Sunday, in what the city's mayor called the "worst natural disaster our region has faced."

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency Saturday and said Sunday he had spoken with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin about additional federal assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has authorized funds to help fight three of the fires, and about 4,000 people were working the firelines statewide, Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said.

Three fires

Three fires were burning around Spokane, a city of about 229,000 people: the Old Trails Fire, the Fairview Fire and the Autumn Lane Fire, which absorbed a blaze earlier called the Meadowview Fire. About 12 square miles had burned in the Spokane area as of Sunday evening, and 15 major fires had scorched roughly 390 square miles across Washington. No containment was reported around Spokane.

Veterans hospital evacuated

The evacuees included patients at the city's U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, officials said. About 400 people were staying at a shelter set up in the main convention center. Benjamin Cossel, a spokesman for the California Interagency Incident Management Team 7 called in Saturday night to assist, said the coming days could be a "recipe for extreme fire behavior" as temperatures were forecast to climb into the mid- to high-90s.

"We have weather working against us, and we have terrain working against us," Cossel said. The Spokane River cuts through the city between steep canyons that channel wind up the slopes, he said.

Power grid strained

About 10,000 Avista Corp. customers were without electricity Sunday evening, down from a peak of 30,000, said Heather Rosenstrater, the utility's chief executive. She said Avista must repair two transmission lines and warned that peak demand later in the week could force additional outages. Rosenstrater said she did not believe Avista equipment ignited the fires.

Cause unknown

Investigators have not determined how the blazes began, and no injuries or fatalities had been reported by Sunday afternoon. Cossel said the damage could match the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, and cautioned that the tally of destroyed structures would rise as firefighters reached areas still too hot to enter.

"We are not out of danger," Sen. Maria Cantwell told reporters in Spokane. "The next couple of days will be challenging."