Washington state wildfires force 60,000 people to evacuate homes

The fires in Spokane are among a total number of 16 large, uncontained wildfires on the landscape in Washington state as of Monday morning, according to the state's department of natural resources.

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the situation as "the worst natural disaster our region has faced", adding that authorities were assessing the extent of the damage and were "still discussing the potential for lives to be lost".

Speaking to BBC News, Mayor Brown said: "The most important thing is that people need to remain vigilant and be patient and comply when we ask them to be ready to evacuate or when we say it's time to evacuate".