Wildfire, high winds prompt evacuation of Washington town of Medical Lake
With a wildfire bearing down, officials on Friday gave orders for evacuation of the entire town of Medical Lake, Wash.
With a wildfire bearing down, officials on Friday gave orders for evacuation of the entire town of Medical Lake, Wash.
Pushed by 35 mph winds, the Gray Fire grew from an estimated 500 acres to nearly 3,000 in the span of a few hours Friday afternoon, according to tweets from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
By 5 p.m., it had already scorched property within the city limits. Medical Lake is home to nearly 5,000 people and is about 12 miles southwest of Spokane.
"We know that some homes have burned. We don’t know how many," said Joe Smillie, a spokesman for the department. "This blew up really big, really fast. It's been really hot the last week."
The fire jumped Interstate 90 after 5 p.m., closing portions of the highway in both directions and forcing officials to begin evacuations of Four Lakes, a small town of about 500 people. Another major thoroughfare, State Route 902 was also closed in both directions near Medical Lake.
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