Washington's Gray Fire TRIPLES in size to 9,500 acres in hours as 185 buildings are destroyed and at least one person is killed

Washington's Gray Fire TRIPLES in size to 9,500 acres in hours as 185 buildings are destroyed and at least one person is killed

ANEETA BHOLE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

• A wildfire in eastern Washington State has tripled in size - scorching 9,500 acres of land within hours, destroying 185 buildings, and killing at least one person
• The fire started around midday Aug 18 surging through 4.7 square miles of grass, timber and wheat and was pushed by 35mph winds within hours, officials say  
• Apocalyptic scenes also emerged from the nearby Canadian province of British Columbia including Kelowna and further north in Yellowknife early Saturday

Washington State's Gray Fire has tripled in size reducing 9,500 acres to ash, destroying 185 buildings and killing at least one person, as thousands evacuate the burn zone.

The Gray Fire started at about midday on Friday. On Saturday morning, it covered about 3,500 acres.

But just a few hours later surged through 4.7 square miles of grass, timber and wheat pushed by 35 miles per hour winds, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources said.

Medical Lake and Four Lakes, about 15 miles southwest of Spokane, have a combined population of 5,000 - the local mayor warned residents to 'get out now!' as the blaze continued to threaten those communities.

A red-flag warning, meaning critical fire conditions came into effect at about 10am on Saturday for eastern Washington State and northern Idaho, the National Weather Service said.

While acknowledging people are concerned about their homes or loved ones, officials asked everyone to stay away from the dangerous wildfire areas.

'When people come in and put themselves at risk, we have to shift our focus from clearing areas and making sure it is safe for the firefighters to go in and do their job,' said Spokane County Sheriff, John Nowels. 

'We then have to shift our focus to addressing people inside those areas.'

An emergency shelter has been set up at Spokane Falls Community College. The Spokane County Fairgrounds are open for those with large animals or livestock. 

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office told khq that at least one person had died in connection to the Gray Fire but the circumstances remain unclear.

Apocalyptic scenes emerged overnight with huge swathes of area dotted with wildfires stoked by wind gusts.

As the sun rose over eastern Washington residents and visitors to the state revealed the miserable conditions being faced by commuters struggling to leave the area.

'We're heading to our campsite. But now we're stuck in the evacuation for a fire,' one man can be heard saying in a video with his family.

'The fire is right behind us hopefully we all get out of here,' said his partner followed by pictures of huge plumes of thick, dark smoke lining the road they're traveling on.

The family captioned the video, 'trying to get to Idaho to our campsite. Drove right into the wildfire evacuation. AVOID THIS AREA IF POSSIBLE.'

City of Medical Lake Mayor, Terri Cooper, warned residents and posted to Facebook 'All Medical Lake citizens, get out now.'

'We are under Level 3 evacuations. If you need transportation, buses are available at Medical Lake High School baseball field,' she said.

'They will take you to Cheney High School (Red Cross Evacuation Shelter). Small animals are ok. If you need help with large animals, please contact 911 and they will assist you. Please stay diligent and safe.'

Hours later the city issued a boiled water alert saying they're 'unsure of the water.'

'We are unsure of the water quality so to be safe, we are requesting our water customers to boil water until we can get the system restored and test the water to ensure it is safe to drink,' they posted to Facebook.

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