Possible human remains found in home burned in Washington wildfire
Authorities in Spokane, Washington, say possible human remains have been discovered in a home that was completely burned in a wildfire that has scorched 250 acres and spurred thousands of evacuations.
The Upriver fire broke out Tuesday night, and about a dozen homes have been burned in the blaze, officials said in an update on Wednesday.
Later Wednesday, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office said the possible human remains were found in the home of a resident "who had refused to evacuate."
Authorities said deputies had visited the house Tuesday after a nearby home was reported to be fully engulfed in flames.
"With houses and trees on fire near the residence, Deputies and Officers knocked, announced themselves, and advised anyone inside to leave immediately," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
"With no response, they found the front door unlocked and entered, repeating the announcement and the immediate need to evacuate, but again, received no reply," the statement said. "Soon after, they were ordered to evacuate the area as the fast-moving fire approached."
Later, a family member contacted authorities and requested a welfare check saying one of the residents had refused to evacuate and could not be contacted," the sheriff's office said.
Authorities said the medical examiner's office is working to confirm the person's identity along with the cause and manner of death.
Officials have said it was a wind-driven fire.
In a press conference on Tuesday, officials said there "was an urgent need for evacuations," in a press conference on Tuesday.
"Our teams are working hard to protect your homes. Stay out of the area. Please don't come back, that makes it very challenging for our crews," Spokane Fire District 9 Fire Chief Brian Mather said.
The active fire was expected to last a couple of days, according to Mather.
"Wind-driven fires are very, very dangerous. They're dangerous to work in. They move very rapidly," Mather said.
"We have a lot of fuel in that area, it's a very densely populated area, and it's tough conditions," Mather said.
There are 10 to 15 aircraft assigned to the fire with more expected, officials said.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he has been briefed on the fire and is monitoring the situation closely.
"I just requested a fire management assistance declaration from FEMA, which I expect to be approved this evening. This gives our state access to federal funding for extraordinary costs in fighting this fire," he wrote in a post on X.
The fire started on Tuesday at around 12:30 p.m., according to Spokane County officials. A red flag warning was issued around 10:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Spokane Fire District said.
ABC News' Jack Moore contributed to this report.
