India, Aug. 3 -- Wildfires raging in eastern Washington have destroyed around 600 homes, businesses and other structures and forced the evacuation of about 5,000 homes, authorities said.

The fires, which remained uncontained on Sunday, have burned around 21 square kilometres in and around Spokane, the state's second-largest city. No deaths have been reported in the Spokane area so far.

The fires are among dozens burning across the western United States, putting federal, state and local firefighting agencies under increasing pressure.

Three major fires - the Old Trails, Fairview and Meadowview fires - were burning in the Spokane area, while authorities issued air quality warnings.

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of em...