#Wildfire evacuation

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared a federal public health emergency for six Washington counties Thursday, a second major federal action in a week as wildfires burn 425,000 acres and force 60,000 evacuations.

Aaron Farinacci, 37, faces a first-degree arson charge and $1 million bond in the Old Trails Fire, as the Spokane Complex toll grows to as many as 1,100 homes lost and 65,000 evacuated.

The confirmed damage from the fire that jumped the Spokane River Saturday night has climbed from an overnight estimate of 50-100 structures to a confirmed 640, as officials stop short of ruling out fatalities and thousands remain evacuated.