Spokane Residents Honor Firefighters Who Saved 20 Homes After Wildfire Destroyed 600
Updated
Updated · The Spokesman Review · Aug 24
Spokane Residents Honor Firefighters Who Saved 20 Homes After Wildfire Destroyed 600
3 articles · Updated · The Spokesman Review · Aug 24
Summary
About 20 surviving homeowners in Spokane’s Old Trails area gathered Aug. 12 to thank firefighters who kept their houses standing after the wildfire tore through the neighborhood.
600 homes were destroyed in the Old Trails fire, part of three Aug. 1 Spokane County fires that burned 833 homes and became the most destructive wildfire event in Washington history.
Capt. Todd Wood and Engine 18 firefighters said the return was unusually emotional because crews rarely see the people or homes they save after a major fire.
Residents who lost nearly everything still joined the event, describing rushed evacuations, temporary rentals and uncertainty over rebuilding, while others pointed to saved heirlooms and family spaces as proof of what the crews preserved.
For survivors and firefighters alike, the gathering served as a cathartic marker of recovery in a neighborhood still surrounded by scorched foundations.