Spokane Wildfires: Old Trails Fire Complex Devastates Hundreds of Homes
A devastating wild fire has forced thousands to flee their homes and left hundreds of homes in ruins this weekend in eastern Washington. The Spokane wild fire, which involves the Old Trails Fire, has been one of the largest wildfires in the area in recent years, says authorities.
How the fire started and spread
The fire that would come to be known as the Old Trails Fire started just before noon on Saturday, August 1, in the area of Old Trails Road and West Euclid Road, west of the city. The fire was initially called the Euclid Fire before crews decided to rename it the Old Trails Fire. With winds gusting up to 35 to 50 mph and single-digit humidity, the fire spread quickly through the afternoon and jumped the Spokane River into Riverside State Park and into neighborhoods in northwest Spokane. Satellites from NOAA GOES-18 captured amazing footage of the fire spreading out of control several hours after the start. This comes after the “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning that was issued to the area by meteorologists.
As of Saturday evening, the fire had grown to 3,500 acres and zero percent containment. Two other fires, the Autumn Lane Fire and the Fairview Fire near Mead, erupted on Saturday and have been combined with the Old Trails Fire under the Spokane Area Fires complex name. As of Sunday morning, the complex had burned 5,390 acres, and overnight, as the wind died down a bit, it was growing at a slower rate than the previous day, even if authorities have yet to officially report a containment percentage as of Sunday morning.
The scale of the damage
Washington State Forester George Geissler said at a Saturday afternoon press briefing that the fire had threatened approximately 4,000 buildings in the area. The California Interagency Incident Management Team estimated that as many as 600 structures had been destroyed by the complex as of Sunday morning, according to local media. However, authorities have warned that an official damage estimate would not be available for some time because crews had to survey the burn area during daylight hours.
The Dwight Merkel Sports Complex is a popular recreational spot in northwest Spokane, but it was in the path of the fire and spokespersons for the Spokesman-Review newspaper were on the ground confirming burned homes in the area before an official damage assessment. Washington National Guard Major General Gent Welsh captured the unease of many when he warned residents that the view from the air of the charred landscape was going to shock people when daylight comes.
Evacuations and shelters
Northwest Spokane has large portions under a Level 3 evacuation, and areas under a Level 2 evacuation, urging people to prepare to leave, due to the fire complex. The boundaries of the evacuation zones have changed throughout the weekend as the fire complex has grown. At times, the area has been bordered by Rutter Parkway, Francis Avenue, the Spokane River, and Division Street, among other places. The Spokane Police Department has asked those not under evacuation to avoid Francis Avenue, the main thoroughfare, and the City of Spokane has asked everyone to limit travel unless necessary after 8 p.m. while evacuations are still in place.
The American Red Cross has opened shelters for displaced persons at the Spokane Convention Center, providing food, cots, and other necessities. Those being evacuated are being advised to bring medications, extra clothes, blankets, and other essentials if it is safe to do so while leaving their homes. Local media has captured the impact on people who have fled their homes, including a young mother who arrived at the Spokane Convention Center with her husband and baby and said it was different this time, having to evacuate with her child.
Reaction from state officials
Governor Bob Ferguson held an emergency briefing on Saturday as the conflagration continued to grow out of control and stated he would be in Spokane on Sunday to oversee the situation. The National Weather Service has issued a rare Fire Warning for Spokane County, indicating that there is an immediate threat to life and property from active fire in an area where people are already evacuated. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the Old Trails Fire. The local utility company spokesperson said the fire did not start from their equipment, even if some of their infrastructure was damaged by the fire complex. A number of planes and one helicopter have been deployed to help reduce the spread of the conflagration, but the effectiveness of aircraft was limited by the wind.
One of the busiest fire seasons on record
The Spokane fires are part of an historic wildfire season for Washington, as of the weekend. Over 1,300 wildfires have burned nearly 1.9 million acres so far this year, threatening to tie the 2024 record of 1.93 million acres. State officials have said that a combination of extreme winds and low fuel moisture has contributed to the challenges in fighting the large blazes while crews have done a good job putting out smaller fires that have sparked throughout the season.
The cause of most of the large wildfires this year has been lightning, which has struck the state with relative frequency during a period of arid weather and capricious winds.
What residents should do
Those in the Spokane area should turn to real-time sources for information about evacuations, rather than this article, as the situation can change hourly. The Spokane Regional Emergency Communications evacuation information page and the Watch Duty app are the two recommended resources for those looking to track evacuation orders and updates about the containment of the blazes.
Anyone under an evacuation order should vacate the area immediately and not wait for confirmation that the fire has passed due to how quickly the Old Trails Fire, in particular, has been spreading under the hot, dry conditions of the recent weekend. This is a developing situation, and this article will be updated as more is known and as the containment of the blazes increases.
