Spokane Fires Destroy About 640 Structures, No Deaths Confirmed

Wind-driven wildfires destroyed about 640 structures in and around Spokane, Washington, over Saturday and into Sunday, and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate, according to The Spokesman-Review and NBC Los Angeles. NBC counted at least 600 buildings destroyed as of Sunday evening. No deaths were confirmed on Sunday, but officials said they were still assessing the possibility of loss of life. Spokane County Fire District 3 Chief Cody Rohrbach said radio traffic suggested that lives would likely be lost, the Spokesman-Review reported.

Three fires are now managed together as the Spokane Complex: the Old Trails fire, which burned nearly 4,000 acres after starting on the West Plains and crossing the Spokane River into the Indian Trail and Five Mile Prairie neighborhoods; the Fairview fire near Mead, at about 914 acres in one report and 981 in a later one; and the Autumn Lane fire near Suncrest, at about 3,300 acres, which destroyed three homes. The complex totaled about 7,780 acres, the Spokesman-Review said, while NBC Los Angeles reported that the three fires had burned more than 5,000 acres.

Tom Engberg, a public information officer with California Incident Management Team 7, said the fire’s behavior had “moderated significantly” and that firefighters had stopped its advance into more neighborhoods, though the fires were not out and more homes could still be lost. The Spokesman-Review gave no containment percentage. Incident Commander Tom Clemo, a Santa Monica Fire Department deputy chief serving on the California team, said it could take days to confirm how many homes were lost and called the fire probably the most destructive in Washington’s history.

The Spokane Convention Center was the main overnight shelter, housing 409 families. The Spokesman-Review reported that evacuation areas were relaxed on Sunday, though residents in Level 3 “go now” zones were told to stay put. Hundreds of firefighters are on the lines, including some 120 personnel from the California team, and some crews are set to work 30 to 40 hours straight, Rohrbach said. Two California-based federal interagency incident management teams, Team 4 and Team 7, are responding, and Los Angeles County’s urban search and rescue team, which recently returned from Venezuela after back-to-back earthquakes in June, is also involved, NBC Los Angeles reported. The Suncrest fire was started by an ember, and many more houses burned because fire resources ran short, the Spokesman-Review said.

Gov. Bob Ferguson, who was flying to Spokane on Sunday morning, spoke with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and requested short-term help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency while the state plans long-term assistance, the Spokesman-Review reported. Mayor Lisa Brown said the care and recovery began Saturday and continues, and the police department added patrols to deter looting.

Schools in the fire’s path did not burn, the Dwight Merkel Sports Complex fields were spared and Fairmount Memorial cemetery had some areas damaged, the Spokesman-Review said. The cause remains under investigation. Winds gusted between 35 and 45 mph for hours on Saturday, the Spokesman-Review reported, and Mayor Brown said wind could make the firefight harder again, NBC Los Angeles reported.