A wildfire burned out of control late Sunday in central Washington, forcing residents in hundreds of homes to evacuate, authorities said.
At least a dozen homes have been destroyed, said Rich Magnussen with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office.
The fire began Sunday afternoon outside the city of Wenatchee, but was burning within the city limits late Sunday night, Magnussen said.
The cause of the fire was uncertain, but temperatures in the region have been in the 100s for days, and rainfall has been scarce.
Last week, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued an emergency proclamation, saying the state was under extreme wildfire risk.
“The fire danger now is unlike any we’ve seen in a long time, if ever,” he said. “We need to be prepared for the possibility of an unprecedented fire season.”
There was no estimate on the total number of acres burned.