Timelapse of Spokane Complex Fire captured by bird feeder camera
A bird feeder camera captured 28 hours of the Spokane-area fire as it scorched parts of Washington.
A bird feeder camera captured 28 hours of a fire burning among the Spokane Complex fires during the first weekend of August as it scorched parts of Washington state.
The blaze is among three wildfires burning near Spokane that, as of the morning of Aug. 4, had scorched more than 10,280 acres and prompted tens of thousands of evacuations in the area around the city in the northeast part of the state.
Meredith Deve, who posted the footage, told Storyful she compiled clips from a motion-activated Birdfy bird feeder camera after her family was forced to evacuate.
The video shows a time-lapse of the fire spreading slowly across the valley below her parents’ property from Aug. 1-2.
‘Fear, relief and devastation’
In the footage, a plume of smoke is seen rising behind the home during the day before flames drew extremely close overnight.
“All night long we watched with a mixture of fear, relief, and devastation,” Devey told Storyful. Although her parents’ house was not destroyed, she said the home next door burned to the ground.
The Old Trails, Fairview and Autumn Lane fires had scorched over 10,280 acres with 0% containment as of Tuesday morning, Aug. 4.
One day earlier, Washington officials announced they arrested a man in connection with one of the wildfires. Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, of Spokane, was arrested on a first-degree arson charge related to the Old Trails Fire, which sprang up Aug. 2 alongside the two other fires, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said.
The causes of the other fires remain under investigation, Nowels said.
“So many Washingtonians who have literally lost everything in a very, very short period of time,” Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said at an Aug. 2 news conference, after he declared a statewide emergency and burn ban one day earlier.
Contributing: James Powel, Jeanine Santucci and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.