Washington state fires destroy hundreds of buildings and force Spokane-area residents to evacuate

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Some residents returned to devastated neighborhoods in eastern Washington state to find their homes leveled by wildfires that erupted across a parched landscape over the weekend, covering yards in charred debris. In some cases, only chimneys were left standing.The fires in and around Spokane, the state’s second-largest city, had burned about 12.5 square miles (about 32 square kilometers) by Monday and filled the sky with smoke and haze. Light winds and lower temperatures arrived to help firefighters, but about 700 buildings had been destroyed and some 67,000 people were under evacuation orders.In one Spokane neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.Among those who returned were Miriam and Daniel Sim, both 76. Miriam held her hand over her mouth as she surveyed t