A massive wildfire is growing unchecked and spreading in new directions in the Northwestern state of Washington. The fire is being fed by powerful, erratic winds.

Hot weather and winds with gusts up to 30 mph (48 kph) were pushing the fire over ridge tops and toward a cluster of small towns northeast of Seattle.

“This is a very active and fluid situation,” said fire spokesman Chuck Turey.

Since last Monday, the lightning-sparked Carlton Complex, as it is called, has scorched about 870 square kilometers of dry timber and grasslands. The fire was measured at 260 square miles (673 square kilometers) on Friday.

The phone and power lines in the area have been severely affected and hundreds of people living between Carlton and Pateros were told to leave their homes. Some began returning on Friday to survey the charred remains of their homes and belongings.

No serious injuries have been reported. However, there is concern about several people whose whereabouts are not known.

The massive blaze is one of several major wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest, which is suffering under hot, dry weather, gusting winds and lightning.

Airplanes and helicopters were dropping water and fire retardant on all parts of the fire. The fire has calmed down near Pateros, where it destroyed about 100 homes on Thursday and Friday, Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers said.

The active fire was burning in an area that is more sparsely populated, with homes scattered throughout the woods and along the highway.

The fire is among more than two dozen burning from southern California to Idaho as drought-parched Western states enter their annual fire season.

Gov. Jay Inslee said about 50 fires were burning in Washington state, which has been severely impacted by hot, dry weather, gusting winds and lightning. Some 2,000 firefighters were working in the eastern part of the state, with about a dozen helicopters from the Department of Natural Resources and the National Guard, along with a Washington State Patrol spotter plane.

Both Washington and Oregon have declared states of emergency as wildfires scorched thousands of acres, destroying homes, outbuildings and crops.