Spokane Wildfires Destroy Hundreds of Buildings and Displace Tens of Thousands

By Amin Sobhani, NLIHC DHR Intern and Noah Patton, NLIHC Director of Disaster Recovery 

Three fast-moving wildfires—the Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview fires—ignited on August 1 and spread through neighborhoods in Spokane and Stevens Counties, Washington. Together, the fires have burned more than 10,000 acres and forced approximately 67,000 people to evacuate. About 850 buildings have reportedly been destroyed, although damage assessment crews have not yet determined exactly how many homes were lost or damaged. No deaths had been reported as of August 5. 

Roughly 100 miles to the West, the Kaiser Canyon fire has continued to burn on the Colville Indian Reservation in Okanogan and Ferry County, Washington. That fire has destroyed roughly 30 homes and has been burning since July 16, growing to nearly 140,000 acres. As of this writing, 1,159 homes remain threatened.  

Cooler weather and higher humidity have helped firefighters establish containment lines, but evacuation orders remain in effect in some areas and officials are preparing for hotter, drier, and windier conditions. Spokane County opened the Spokane Convention Center as a primary evacuation shelter, while additional shelters and facilities for displaced residents and animals have operated elsewhere in Spokane and Stevens Counties. Wildfire smoke has also caused multiple exceedances of federal air-quality standards for fine-particle pollution, creating additional health concerns, particularly for people experiencing homelessness, older adults, children, and people with respiratory or other health conditions. 

A federal emergency declaration for impacted areas of Washington was announced August 4. This emergency declaration supports government response operations but does not make FEMA Individual Assistance available to households. Governor Bob Ferguson’s office said the state is preparing a request for a major disaster declaration. If approved, a major disaster declaration could make financial assistance available to affected households and provide funding to repair damaged public infrastructure. 

The fires struck while Spokane County was still recovering from the 2023 Gray and Oregon Road fires, which destroyed 366 primary homes and more than 700 structures. Local recovery organizations were continuing to finance and build replacement homes for survivors. 

The widespread destruction and displacement may further strain an already inadequate supply of affordable housing. In Washington, only 28 affordable and available rental homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, and 77% of extremely low-income renters are severely cost-burdened. The loss of homes and increased demand for temporary housing may create challenges for renters, people experiencing homelessness, low-income homeowners, older adults, people with disabilities, and uninsured or underinsured households. 

NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery, Research, and Resilience initiative and members of the NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition will continue monitoring the fires’ housing impacts and advocating for an equitable recovery. Particular attention should be paid to whether emergency shelter and recovery information are accessible, whether displaced renters and people experiencing homelessness can obtain stable temporary housing, and whether future federal recovery resources reach households with the greatest needs. 

People affected by the fires can find shelter, recovery, and assistance information through the Spokane Complex Wildfire Response Resources website.