One news report I saw said California experts on fires have arrived in Spokane to help... my first thought was “uh oh.” This fire situation reminds me of the one here. Land grab? Making “room” for data centers? Something smells...
This site has the best info. You can find any fires in the US and there are details for each one. Most of the WA and OR fires are from lightning, some undedermined, and I think one I checked was human caused. Hub, being a firefighter including wildland, said that sometimes the origin of the fire is not easy to determin. If human caused, usually there is evidence at the point of origin. And usually not human caused in steep mounatainous regions. The stiff hot winds are creating havoc.
I expect the main smell around Spokane now is from burning stuff. Over the past half century Spokane has mostly expanded to its northwest which is where the timber is. Going downstream with the river and getting closer to the Okanogan is just gets woodier. Don’t wish them any bad luck but moving into woodland requires serious brush and timber management. Bare land for data centers or anything else wouldn’t be a problem to the west or south since that is all rolling hill grain farmland in the Palouse which is about 1/3 of Eastern Washington. Going east and north has long been mining and industrial use so the folks just couldn’t go those ways.
Note to Mel: Having just moved into the Peninsula which is heavily timbered, but wetter, it’s good to be mindful of how the growth is managed near you.
Re: Spokane fires...
(snip) SPOKANE, Wash - A convicted felon has been arrested on an arson charge, suspected of starting the fire that has now burned thousands of acres and hundreds of homes.
The suspect, 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci, was arrested Monday night in the City of Spokane and is now being held on a $1 million bond.
The man arrested has a previous conviction for manslaughter in Arizona.
The Old Trails fire started Saturday afternoon near Airway Heights, then quickly pushed through Riverside State Park and into neighborhoods in north Spokane.
Hundreds of structures, including entire neighborhoods, have burned.
The fire is one of three burning in the Spokane area...
🐷