A wildfire in central Washington State spread to some 16 square km Monday afternoon and burnt down at least two dozen homes.

The fire started a day earlier outside of Wenatchee, about 225 km east of Seattle, and moved fast toward the Sleepy Hollow Fire neighborhood, forcing authorities to evacuate several hundred homes.

An ongoing extreme heatwave in the Northwest, moderate drought in much of Chelan County and gusting winds were blamed for aggravating the situation in the city, home to more than 30,000 people.

No residents were hurt, but three firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to media reports.

A rain shower on Monday morning brought temporary relief.

However, as only about 10 percent of the fire was contained Monday afternoon, Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz was quoted as saying that he was "worried now about what's going to happen next."

Temperatures have topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or nearly 38 degrees Celsius, for days in the region and the heatwave is expected to continue into early July. Endi

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