A wildfire driven by high winds jumped the Spokane River Saturday afternoon and burned into city neighborhoods on the bluffs above the river.
Multiple homes were on fire and explosions could be heard at 5:20 p.m. in the Indian Trail Neighborhood, which has been under evacuation orders for hours.
Level 3 (go now) evacuation orders in the city were issued just before 3:30 p.m., affecting thousands of people within the Spokane city limits. They were later expanded to include all of the city north of Francis Avenue and west of Division Street. Officials urged all residents in the evacuation zone to leave immediately.
The city of Spokane has opened a fire evacuation center at the Spokane Convention Center at 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd.
The Spokane County Fairgrounds has areas open for people with RVs and also has room for people who need space for evacuated animals.
The Old Trails fire was reported to have grown to 2,500 acres by 4:30 p.m., pushed by wind gusts of 35 to 45 mph.
“This is an extraordinary fire season. This is not normal; this is unusual,” Washington Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said at a joint news conference on the fire with Ferguson.
Upthegrove said all necessary resources are being assigned to help prevent loss of life and property.
“We’re going to do what it takes to keep this state safe,” Upthegrove said.
Major Gen. Gent Welsh, Washington’s adjutant general, said at the news conference that the current fire conditions are the worst he’s seen in his 38-year career.
“When the sun sets and the sun rises, we are going to be in shock,” Welsh said.
While homes could be seen burning in some areas, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said at the same news conference that it’s too early for numbers on losses.
“We’re not in a place right now where we can discuss the magnitude of the property destruction,” Brown said.
Pink areas were level 3 (go now) evacuation zones as of 5:45 p.m. Saturday. (Spokane County Emergency Management)
Another fire in the Peone Prairie area, the 700-acre Fairview fire, sparked another vast evacuation zone from Market Street to Forker Road between Mount Spokane Park Drive on the north to Orchard Road on the south.
Avista Utilities reported about 40,000 customers without power in the Spokane area, many as a preemptive measure across the city, including areas not within the evacuation area.
Avista spokesman David Vowels said Saturday was a long day as multiple fires threatened the utility’s grid.
“There are still a lot of customers impacted,” he said Saturday evening.
Vowels provided a statement from the company that said the Old Trails fire did not spark from the utility’s infrastructure, but that some parts were damaged in the fire.
“We are aware of outages as a result,” the statement reads. “These are a result of the fire and are unconnected with Public Safety Power Shutoffs that have been implemented today. We will begin the process of assessing potential restoration needs when it is safe to do so.”
Vowels said customers can track outages resulting from high winds, fire damage or in the interest of public safety on Avista’s website.
Brown said in an interview about 5 p.m. that Gov. Bob Ferguson has activated the National Guard to help with the fire.
She urged people to stay off the roads in north Spokane unless they are evacuating.
“Traffic congestion is complicating the response,” she said.
She, along with the fire and police chief, were helping to coordinate response at the city’s emergency management center.
The blaze comes as the National Weather Service on Friday issued a historic first warning for Eastern Washington of “particularly dangerous” weather, which is a step up from the typical red flag warnings the agency issues on hot, dry and windy days.
“This means that new fires will grow rapidly and out of control,” the warning reads. “Be on alert for fire starts and be prepared to evacuate immediately for all fires.”
Married couple Nancy and Darrell Wagner stood outside the Red Cross evacuation center set up at the student athletic center at Spokane Falls Community College as their dog Fritz nervously yapped in the grass.
“We’ve never done this before,” said Darrell, 76.
The couple left their home in Indian Trail as quick as possible when they received the notice to evacuate. Other neighbors in the area said they’d seen nearby homes burn, so the couple grabbed their dog, not much else, and left.
“We’ve lived in that house for 31 years now,” Darrell said.
“Well, if it’s still standing,” added Nancy, 73.
Spokane City Councilwoman Kitty Klitzke, who represents northwest Spokane, said Spokane Transit Authority buses were assisting in evacuations.
Spokane County Commissioner Al French, who represents the West Plains and Indian Trails neighborhoods, said the damage left in the wake could be “tragic.”
“If you’re not in the path of the fires, reach out to friends, because a lot of folks are going to need a safe place to reside and hold up in until this risk goes away,” French said. “Be a good neighbor and help your neighbor.”
Shelter opens
The Red Cross set up an emergency evacuation center at the Student Athletic Center at Spokane Falls Community College, 3410 W. Whistalks Way, on Saturday evening.
As of 5 p.m. Saturday, the center is without power, said volunteer Rebecca Griffin. Still, they’re stocked with snacks, water, first aid and toiletries to aid any evacuees.
They’ll serve dinner this evening, Griffin said, and set up cots if people need to stay the night.
Dozens of evacuees trickled in and out of the center, carrying their pets and some belongings. The center is set up to shelter household pets. Larger animals like horses and livestock can be kept at the Spokane County Fairgrounds, according to Spokane County Emergency Management Facebook.
The center at SFCC is the only evacuation center set up for this fire in Spokane, Griffin said, they considered setting up at Northwood Middle School, but instead decided to concentrate resources at SFCC. The school was selected strategically to accommodate a large amount of people and stay far from fire risk.
“Based on where the winds are, this spot was chosen with care,” Griffin said. “Our disaster program manager who is coordinating this, she is a former firefighter, so she was paying attention to where the fire could be heading when she chose this location.”
A brutal firefight
NOAA Satellite image (NOAA )
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels called in all deputies Saturday to assist with door-to-door evacuations, French said. Meanwhile, Chandra Fox, deputy director of emergency management for the county, is coordinating with the state Department of Natural Resources and other agencies to get more wildland firefighters.
Brown said city police also were rushing to help evacuated residents.
Among fire crews called in to help were some from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
Flames and smoke were cascading over trees next to Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, 3624 W. Indian Trail Road, about 4:30 p.m. Fire crews were on scene working to protect the school and church. Police were speeding north on North Indian Trail Road while residents were fleeing southbound.
The Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center is under an evacuation order. Some patients have been transferred, including seven to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and another seven to Holy Family Hospital.
“You just get out so fast, you don’t even think, you’ve just got to get out,” said Crystal Harris, whose home is near the VA Hospital, where she works as a social worker. “You see it and it’s terrifying, you’re just thinking, ‘Ahh, get my stuff.’”
Earlier, residents at Spokane Health and Rehabilitation Home at 6025 N. Assembly St. were being evacuated as residents waited in the shade and grass for evacuation busses.
Cars full of evacuating residents could be seen stretching south along Northwest Boulevard. Smoke is so thick it’s blotting out the sun on North Driscoll Boulevard and West Francis Avenue.
Flames were visible as trees in the dry Riverside State Park erupted in towering flames.
“When you think it’s bad, it just gets worse.” said Lon Migala, who was raised in Southern California. “This is worse than even the fires I’ve seen down there.”
Firefighters assisted by aircraft were attempting to protect neighborhoods.
Wind picked up around noon in Spokane, with 25 to 35 mph gusts blowing toward the east and northeast, said Antoinette Serrato, National Weather Service meteorologist. Those will start to die down around 8 p.m. The “particularly dangerous” weather warning was only meant to be in place from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The less severe red flag warning is in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The fire quickly spread near Nine Mile Road. Residents near Nine Mile on North Greenwood Boulevard were spraying down their homes and their neighbors’ homes. Some were wetting down firewood outside their houses. Theresa Sullivan, who was spraying down her home with a house and her neighbor’s home, said “It’s never been this close before.”
“I never thought it would be up here,” she said. “I’m in shock.”
Those living along Northwest Boulevard congregated along the ledge by the road. Across the Spokane River, flames covered a hillside just miles away.
As cars fled the flames bumper to bumper along for miles, those out of danger watched from picnic blankets.
In 30 years living in Spokane, Michael Keller said he had never seen fire get so close to the city’s core.
“I’ve never seen it this bad. It has never in my life been this close,” he said.
Keller’s wife and adult son had just left to go towards the evacuation zone, hoping to recover items from the empty home of a relative.
“I don’t know if they’ll even get in. They’re trying save we stuff, but I’m really worried about them if they do make it in,” he said.
It started hours earlier on the West Plains, but quickly tore through 350 to 400 acres in the area around West Euclid Road and North Old Trails Road within about an hour and a half of starting, according to the Watch Duty website. Not long after, it spread into Riverside State Park and jumped the Spokane River into the city. Gusts in Airway Heights are forecasted to reach up to 45 mph Saturday.
“Multiple structures are imminently threatened,” according to the website. Firefighters could be seen on the roofs of houses trying to save the homes from burning.
Bob Moore raced up North Government Way Saturday but was intercepted by Spokane Police.
“You got to let me go up there, man,” Moore called from his truck window.
“I can’t let you up there right now,” the officer told him.
“My shop, my house. I need to protect my house,” Moore pleaded.
The officer called around, made an attempt to try and get Moore up to his home. “I’m worried about my stuff.”
“I’m sorry,” the officer told him.
Moore told The Spokesman-Review his wife grabbed their “go-bags” and their dogs and was waiting at the bottom of the hill.
“She called and said ‘You got to come home right now.,’” Moore said as he watched the plume of smoke erupt past Riverside State Park.
Others who were intercepted at the roadblock on North Government Way were crying and pleading with police to let them up the hill. There was nothing police could do, they said.
The Spokane County Commission intends to have an emergency meeting at 8 pm to declare a state of emergency in the county. It will grant Nowels and Fox authority to bypass protocol for purchasing equipment and supplies. It will also start the process for getting state and any potential federal support, said Spokane County spokeswoman Martha Lou Wheatley Billeter.
A huge plume of smoke from the Old Trails Fire blots out a beautiful Saturday sky as multiple fires cause damage and stretch fire resources to the limit on Saturday, Aug. 1 2026, in Spokane. This view is from southeastern Spokane looking north with the plume of smoke heading east. (Christopher Anderson/For The Spokesman-Review)
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Spokesman-Review staffers Alayna Shulman, Jonathan Brunt, Ricky Schodl, Elena Perry, Nick Gibson and John Stucke contributed to this article. Freelancer Jordan Tolley-Turner contributed reporting as well.