MAN ARRESTED IN WASHINGTON ON SUSPICION OF STARTING WILDFIRE

WASHINGTON, AUGUST 4 /SRNA/ - Police in the US state of Washington have arrested a man suspected of starting one of several devastating wildfires in Spokane County, authorities said.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said that the 37-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the "Old Trails" fire, the largest of the three wildfires currently burning in the region.

Authorities said that more than 700 homes and other structures were destroyed in the fire, while more than 65,000 people in the Spokane area were ordered to evacuate, representing more than a third of the local population. No injuries or fatalities have been reported so far.

According to Washington Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove, as many as 17 major wildfires were burning across more than 100,000 hectares in the state of Washington, which borders Canada.

He added that around 5,000 emergency personnel were battling the fires.

Gent Welsh of the Washington National Guard compared the scale of the destruction to a "war zone."

Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown described the emergency threatening her city as the largest natural disaster the region has faced, DPA reported.