Wildfires have scorched nearly 937 square miles in Washington state this week, Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday as he toured the devastated remains of the town of Malden.
That’s more than in any year in the state’s history except for 2015, Inslee said, calling it "the worst few days in wildfire history for Washington state. “We’ve had this trauma all over Washington,” Inslee said, according to KHQ-TV. “But this is the place where the whole heart of the town was torn out.”
Malden is a farm town set among wheat fields about 35 miles south of Spokane, Washington.
Malden Mayor Chris Ferrell said residents only had minutes to get out of town before the wind-driven flames moved in on Monday. No one was killed or seriously injured.
Inslee said the state is already responding to the losses in Malden, which had around 200 residents, and nearby Pine City, which was even smaller.