Hundreds of firefighters are working extended shifts to contain the Spokane Complex Fire in the US state of Washington before hotter, drier weather arrives this weekend.
More than 1,500 firefighters from 24 states are battling the blaze, which has damaged or destroyed nearly 850 structures since it started on Saturday, according to NBC News on Thursday.
While temperatures are expected to rise with no rain forecast, officials say the fire has expanded marginally since Monday as crews strengthen containment lines.
Still, “tremendous progress” has been made, said Tom Stokesberry, spokesperson for the California Interagency Incident Management Team leading the response.
About 67,000 people have been displaced, with no deaths reported.
“If our lines hold through the weekend, I think we’re going to be on the path to not having this fire move anymore,” he said. “But it’s still going to be a long recovery phase.”
As of Wednesday, the Old Trails and Autumn Lane fires were each 13 percent contained, while the Fairview Fire was 5 percent contained. Together, they had burned almost almost 43km².
