Spokane Residents Return to 700-Structure Fire Ruin as Federal Aid Starts and Suspect Is Arrested
Updated
Updated · The Seattle Times · Aug 5
Spokane Residents Return to 700-Structure Fire Ruin as Federal Aid Starts and Suspect Is Arrested
3 articles · Updated · The Seattle Times · Aug 5
Summary
More than 60,000 evacuees from Spokane-area fires began returning Tuesday to sift through ash, salvage keepsakes and assess homes after the fast-moving Old Trails blaze tore through neighborhoods.
About 700 structures have been lost across three Saturday fires, but no deaths or injuries have been reported; more than 600 displaced people stayed in shelters Monday night.
Federal disaster assistance was authorized Tuesday after the Trump administration approved an emergency declaration, while investigators arrested a suspect accused of starting the Old Trails fire.
High winds drove embers across the Spokane River and turned the blazes into infernos within minutes, a pattern fire officials said resembled other recent wind-driven wildfires.
Residents described repeated evacuations, insurance strain and plans to rebuild, underscoring how increasingly destructive fire conditions are reshaping life in the Spokane area.