Winds gusting to 50 mph pushed a 500-acre wildfire that burned at least three homes in a heavily wooded part of the suburban Spokane Valley on Thursday evening, and residents of a wide area were told to leave their homes.

At least three homes could be seen burning and officials said more might have been destroyed.

There were no reports of injuries, and the cause of the fire that was reported on Thursday afternoon was not immediately known. Winds and temperatures were dropping Thursday night, which aided firefighters.

Gov. Chris Gregoire was flying to Spokane Thursday night, spokesman Pearse Edwards confirmed.

Wildfires were also reported burning in Ferry, Lincoln, Stevens and Pend Orielle counties in northeast Washington.

Wildfires elsewhere in Eastern Washington advanced across rough terrain, burning nearly 9 square miles.

Flames and heavy smoke could be seen just a few yards from the lawns of luxury homes in the Dishman Hills, a wooded, natural area on the east edge of Spokane.

At least six homes were threatened, said Bill Clifford, a spokesman for the Spokane Valley Fire Department. The state Department of Natural Resources was assisting local firefighting efforts.

The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at University High School in the Spokane Valley, and an evacuation center for horses was set up at the Spokane County Fairgrounds.

Meanwhile, thousands of homes were without electricity in the Spokane area and near Colville in northeast Washington, Avista Corp. reported Thursday. Dozens of fires in the Colville area were sparked by downed power lines.

Near Tonasket, just south of the U.S.-Canada border, firefighters were battling steep terrain, rattlesnakes and winds gusting to 30 mph, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Robin DeMario.

Evacuation orders were lifted for eight homes there late Thursday, but residents of another 11 homes remained on notice they might have to flee the Cayuse Fire, which has burned at least 1,000 acres. No structures have burned, and nearly 200 firefighters were on the scene.

Residents of more than three dozen condominiums and homes waited and watched as another fire pushed toward a golf course near the town of Orondo, about 20 miles north of Wenatchee.

Authorities alerted residents of some 40 condos to be aware of the fire, which was moving toward the Desert Canyon Golf Course. About 2,000 acres already had burned late Thursday, with 50 firefighters assigned to the fire, DeMario said.

Both fires started Wednesday.

Crews gained ground on the nearby Badger Creek Fire, also north of Wenatchee, which has burned 4 square miles but was 60 percent contained late Thursday. About 125 people were assigned to the blaze, which started Tuesday.