Wildfires in Washington state threaten homes, prompt evacuations

(Reuters) - Two wildfires in north-central Washington state have burned 19,700 acres (80 square km) and are threatening 59 buildings and prompting evacuations, officials said on Sunday.

The lightning-triggered fires in grassy and brush-covered land in Douglas County began on Friday as five fires, but four of them merged into one blaze, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, which monitors wildfires.

No injuries have been reported, but 29 homes and 30 other buildings are threatened, said agency spokeswoman Robin DeMario.

Nearly 160 firefighters were working on the fires, but they continued to burn out of control as of early Sunday afternoon, DeMario said. Water was being dropped by helicopters.

The Red Cross has established an evacuation center at Ephrata High School in Ephrata, Washington. A Red Cross official for the center did not immediately return a call for comment on how many people were at the school.

DeMario said the Douglas County fires are among seven large wildfires burning in Washington state, with the next largest being a 5,000-acre (20.23-square-km) fire near the Canadian border.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Eric Walsh)