before. further up the mountain, crews are working to free homeowners from the mud. lester? erin mclaughlin in thank you. also tonight, we re watching a depression in the gulf of mexico that s expected to strengthen soon into a tropical storm. it s moving west and is forecast to move inland over south texas tomorrow. up to five inches of rain could lead to flash flooding. tropical storm warnings and watches are in effect along the texas gulf coast. in washington state firefighters are battling a series of large wildfires, forcing the evacuation of thousands and that destroyed hundreds of properties. jesse kirsch has late details. reporter: with thousands of people under evacuation orders and dozens of homes destroyed, tonight unpredictable wildfires are testing eastern washington state. as i turn 180 it s just from here it s gone. reporter: outside spokane the gray fire devastating multiple communities. we had about half an hour maybe to get out. reporter: sandy