Coeur d’Alene fire crews aid Spokane-area wildfires, planes return to airport
Water planes were back at Coeur d’Alene Airport as local crews helped Spokane-area wildfire operations and crews warned boaters to stay clear of scoop sites.
Coeur d’Alene fire crews joined the Spokane-area wildfire fight as water planes cycled back to Coeur d’Alene Airport after suppression runs over Washington, a clear sign that the region’s mutual-aid system was already moving across the state line.
Spokane County crews helped the aircraft scoop water from the lake, and Spokane Valley Fire Department warned boaters, anglers and anyone else on the water to stay clear while firefighting aircraft used lakes, rivers and other bodies of water to refill. Washington National Guard messaging said state aviation resources were part of the broader wildfire mission, keeping aircraft traffic heavy over the region.
The fires around Spokane, the West Plains, Riverside State Park, Medical Lake and Airway Heights forced evacuations and destroyed structures in Washington state. NBC News reported at least 600 structures were damaged, other coverage put the loss at about 600 structures destroyed, and later posts cited more than 700 structures lost. The American Red Cross said it was supporting evacuees as thousands were forced from their homes.
In Coeur d’Alene, the city’s fire department said fire danger was high and that no burn permits were being issued. The department remains responsible for local fire service in Coeur d’Alene, so that restriction matters immediately for Kootenai County households that might otherwise plan burn piles or other open burning while the region is already stretched by mutual aid.
The airport’s role is not new. A 2018 Spokesman-Review article said fires near Coeur d’Alene Airport were sparked by an airplane, a reminder that the airport has long sat inside the region’s wildfire risk as well as its response network. The area has also lived through major losses before: Spokane County received an additional $44 million in federal funding in 2025 to help victims of the Gray and Oregon Road fires. With aircraft returning to the airport and local burn permits shut down, the immediate expectation for Kootenai County is simple: leave room for the aircraft, and do not add new fire starts.
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