Spokane-area wildfires destroy hundreds of homes, force mass evacuations
Residents returned to charred blocks as Spokane-area fires burned 5,390 acres, destroyed more than 600 structures and forced about 5,000 homes to evacuate.
Residents coming back into Spokane County found charred blocks, collapsed roofs and more than 600 destroyed structures after the Old Trails fire and other Spokane-area fires tore through the region. The burned area reached 5,390 acres and about 5,000 homes were evacuated as the fire front widened across the West Plains and toward Spokane.
The Old Trails fire started around noon Saturday and had climbed to about 2,500 acres by Saturday evening before growing past 5,000 acres by Sunday morning. Strong wind gusts and high temperatures helped drive the fire’s spread, and emergency officials declared an emergency as residents fled the fast-moving blaze. The fire pushed into Riverside State Park amid a historic weather warning, and flames crossed the Spokane River into the city as evacuations expanded.
Spokane Regional Emergency Communications issued a Level 3 evacuation order, the highest level, telling residents in the danger zone to leave. Evacuation shelters opened for fire evacuees as crews worked around Airway Heights and nearby neighborhoods. The speed of the fire left little time for preparation, turning evacuation orders into a race to get family members, pets and essentials out before roads closed.
Gov. Bob Ferguson was briefed on the fire, monitored it closely and requested a fire management assistance declaration from FEMA to help cover extraordinary firefighting costs. He also urged residents to follow evacuation orders, road closures and instructions from emergency responders. Washington state also imposed a burn ban through Sept. 30, while fires across the state had burned more than 250,000 acres as of Aug. 2.
The Gray Fire and Oregon Road Fire devastated communities between Aug. 18 and 25 in Spokane County’s 2023 fire season. Three wildfires outside Spokane forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of structures. This year’s fires spread across a larger footprint, while the National Interagency Fire Center listed National Preparedness Level 5, 87 uncontained large fires nationwide and support personnel from Australia and New Zealand assigned to major fires in the Northwest.
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