Washington state fires destroy hundreds of structures and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

Light winds and lower temperatures were in the forecast Monday to help firefighters with wildfires in eastern Washington state that forced the evacuation of 60,000 people in the Spokane area while destroying at least 600 homes, businesses and other structures.

The fires in and around Spokane, the state's second-largest city, burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday morning and filled the sky with smoke and haze. They were 0% contained, Courtney James, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, said.

The weather forecast for Monday called cooler temperatures and light winds following strong wind gusts Sunday. No rain was in the forecast.

The fires were among dozens of wildfires across the Western U.S. that stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them.

At least 390 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) has burned across the state, and some of the fires, including those in the Spokane area, have not been contained.

Fire and law enforcement officials said there had been no reports of injuries or people unaccounted for — but they stressed it was early in the response effort.

Officials also said that the evacuees in Spokane included patients at its U.S. Veterans Affairs hospital.

Video from the Spokane area showed buildings on fire, black smoke billowing up near neighborhoods, and the smoking ruins of homes, with only chimneys still standing. Several officials expressed concern that the area does not appear likely to get a break in coming days from the weather, which is expected to remain dry.

“We are not out of danger,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell said during a news conference Sunday with federal, state and local officials in Spokane. “The next couple of days will be challenging.”

Investigators had yet to determine how the blazes started.

Fire officials said two drone operators who were not authorized to operate during the wildfires have been cited. There were at least 26 “drone incursions” over the fires on Sunday, they said.

Spokane was hardly the only place struggling to contain fires.

Crews using bulldozers and helicopters continued for a 10th day to fight a fire that has burned nearly 525 square miles (about 1,360 square kilometers) of grassland in western Idaho and eastern Oregon. The area is home to cattle ranches, and authorities said the fire is threatening more than 600 homes and 800 other structures.

The weather in the area was expected to remain sunny — and dry — well into the week, with temperatures rising to more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday. Officials say the fire was caused by lightning.

In central Utah, a massive blaze more than doubled in size over the weekend and was nearly 57 square miles (147 square kilometers) by Monday morning. More than 100 cattle have been killed, according to local law enforcement.

Officials called the fire “catastrophic" as heavy winds helped flames jump containment lines.

The fire is moving north toward Fillmore, a town of about 2,600 people and the seat of Millard County. Mandatory evacuations were ordered Sunday evening for the southern portion of Fillmore.

The National Weather Service issued warnings about the air quality across the northwest. It issued red flag fire warnings for parts of Utah and Montana and western Nebraska, and extreme heat warnings for the southern parts of Arizona, California and Nevada and northern Montana.

Authorities in Spokane set up a shelter at the city's main convention center. About 400 people were staying there, officials said Sunday.

Spokane Public Schools opened a free emergency drop-in camp for children on Monday. Court trials in Spokane County scheduled for this week were continued to the week of Aug. 10.

Meanwhile, several larger fires continued to burn in less populated areas northwest of Spokane, including one about 80 miles (129 kilometers) from the city that has burned about 210 square miles (544 square kilometers). Another fire in eastern Oregon, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) to the northwest in the Stinkingwater Mountains, has burned about 336 square miles (870 square kilometers).

“The whole northwest is heavily impacted right now,” said Keila Vizcarra, the spokesperson for the federal team from California handling what's been named the Big Grass Fire in western Idaho and eastern Oregon.

Structures along W. Tiffany Ave. are burned to the ground after a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

A vehicle and structure are burned on N. Skyline Dr. due to a wildfire, Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Kimberley Sather stands at the duplex she rents on W. Indian Trail Rd. after it burned in a wildfire in Spokane, Wash., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

People watch Old Trails Fire from W. Northwest Blvd., Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

Allen Sather and his wife Kimberley embrace at the duplex they rent on W. Indian Trail Rd. after it burned in a wildfire in Spokane, Wash., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)

NEW YORK (AP) — Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year's winter scarf.

Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6.

“Nowadays, art is popping off, so things are more expensive,” Catalano said. “It has the perfect amount of what I need.”

The Brooklyn store is one of hundreds of creative reuse centers across the U.S. and beyond which aim to keep art supplies out of landfills. They typically sell donated arts and crafts materials at steep discounts — like thrift stores for crafting.

Art supplies typically come in bulk — like a pack of markers or a ream of construction paper — and outlast the kids' project or at-home craft they're intended for. When thrown away, they degrade in landfills, and certain items can release harmful chemicals and microplastics into the environment.

Reusing art supplies is one small step to avoid that, with some centers saving thousands of pounds of materials from reaching landfills each month.

“Reducing waste is the first benefit. But also, you can be more creative when you're in a large warehouse and looking at things that you could not source yourself,” said Julian Silverman, a materials scientist at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology.

Art is an expensive hobby, so shopping secondhand can keep costs down. At reuse centers, crafters can collect a few ribbons and fabric scraps instead of entire spools or bolts. Brooklyn Creative Reuse prices most supplies at $3 a pound. Some centers also price items individually.

Art supplies also require water and energy to make, pack and ship, so reusing them helps reduce the resources needed for new ones. For example, it takes about 13 gallons (49 liters) of water to make one gallon of paint, Silverman said.

The supplies also tend to have a lot of packaging for their size, Silverman said, such as a marker sold in a plastic package with cardboard backing. More packaging also is needed to encase light-sensitive products like paint.

At Scraplanta Creative Reuse, a network of two reuse centers and a pop-up shop in Atlanta, organizers collect nearly 7,000 pounds (3,175 kilograms) of supplies every month and sell them to teachers, parents, teenagers in sewing circles and college professors.

“We see the value in that half bottle of paint or glue because if it’s still usable, there’s someone who just needs that for their project,” said Jonelle Dawkins, executive director of Scraplanta.

In landfills, synthetic bristles on paintbrushes can take hundreds of years to degrade, while their plastic handles take up to a thousand years, Silverman said. When paints break down, they can release microplastics and heavy metals like cadmium and cobalt.

“Basically, our paint is plastic,” said Zoie Diana, an environmental scientist at Barnard College.

Diana said artists should focus on environmental factors that are within their control, but also not feel guilty about their pursuits. She noted that paint used for art is a smaller source of pollution than what flakes off roads, buildings and boats.

The principles of sustainable art include buying only what you need and donating what you don't instead of throwing it away.

How you clean your paintbrushes can also make a difference. Wipe used brushes with a rag and peel off old paint instead of washing it down the drain. This step prevents microplastics in the paint from being pumped to wastewater treatment facilities, Diana said, where they can sneak through into lakes and rivers.

Artists can also look into drop-off programs that recycle paints.

Creative crafters can further repurpose household materials for art projects. Silverman, the materials scientist, boils down onion skins and beets into colorful inks that he uses for tie-dye projects. He also recommends upcycling old makeup into paints and inks.

“You don't need to spend any money to get walnut shells, for example, and play with those,” said Silverman.

Picking up paint supplies at Brooklyn Creative Reuse inspired artist and teacher Rosina Morelli to fish through her own drawers and cabinets.

“What I’m most happy for is my chance to donate stuff, not buy stuff,” Morelli said, “so that I can give it to other people that are going to be excited and use it, instead of me just throwing it out.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP’s climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Stephanie O'Brien, right, helps shoppers pay for art supplies at the Brooklyn Creative Reuse, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)

Yarn sits on shelves as shoppers debate items for sale at the Brooklyn Creative Reuse, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)

Fabric pieces sit for sale in bins at the Brooklyn Creative Reuse, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)

A shopper looks through art supplies for sale at the Brooklyn Creative Reuse on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)

Shoppers look through art supplies for sale at the Brooklyn Creative Reuse on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman)