Ethan Hill, 11, ran through the charred grass outside his grandparents’ home that burned to the ground this week. He climbed atop the swing and kicked higher.
When his grandparents, Nancy and Scott Fuller, saw this house for sale, more than two decades ago, Nancy said she dreamed of opening her back gate into the woods, walking the trail and down to the river.
“But the main thing why I wanted to buy the home was because of that rickety swing set,” she said, “because my first grandchild was going to be born.”
The swing was one of the few things left standing after the Old Trails fire struck here. Three generations of the family returned Tuesday morning to find closure. They and other residents filtered into their neighborhoods gutted by the Spokane area fires, bringing rakes, bags, carts and totes to sift through the remains and retrieve what they could. By afternoon, Angie and John Schoeffler had found a wedding ring after digging through the rubble for almost two hours. Angie had left it on her bathroom counter in the rush to get out alive. Their neighbors came by with a bottle of champagne to celebrate the silver lining.
As the residents returned, firefighters from Snohomish County were spraying down the smoking earth, and crews with utility Avista cut down damaged power lines. Residents had sat out packages of bottled water for the taking, and one table was filled with electrolytes, energy drinks and snacks.
The smell of burnt plastic wafted along the streets and dense smoke hung in the air as fire continued to smolder in the area.
The Old Trails fire’s spread Saturday was rapid, chaotic, with loud explosions heard through the smoke as it raced through neighborhoods, The Spokesman-Review reported. The newspaper’s images showed people fleeing, and flames tearing into homes. Investigators say they arrested a suspect accused of starting the fire.
It was one of three fires that sparked Saturday, surging into infernos within minutes. The high winds spewed embers, helping two of the fires to jump the Spokane River and rip through suburban neighborhoods in a matter of hours. More than 60,000 people were ordered to evacuate, and an estimated 700 structures, including homes, have been lost. No one has been reported killed or injured in the fires.
More than 600 people displaced from the blazes stayed in area shelters Monday night, said Betsy Robertson with the American Red Cross.
The Trump administration approved an emergency declaration for Washington, authorizing federal disaster assistance Tuesday for those affected by the blazes.
The fires have left a level of devastation unfortunately reminiscent of other fires in recent years, said Scot Roeber, a division supervisor with California Interagency Incident Management Team 7. You can see how long and skinny the Old Trails fire path was, he said, holding a map in the cab of his rig, indicative of a wind-driven blaze, like the Palisades fire that killed 12 people and burned thousands of structures last year. Climate change is making it more likely that the ingredients needed for destructive wildfires will come together more frequently.
Nancy Fuller and her neighbors recounted the speed of the evacuations and ensuing devastation. She was in an upstairs bedroom Saturday when she saw the smoke column rise and flames headed toward her neighbors’ home. She left with her dog Rosie and the clothes on her back.
She was grateful for the local alert system and Spokane news media for getting the word out so people could flee in time. And now that her family and others who have lost are beginning their next steps, the support has been flooding in from all over.
“It's humbling, but it's overwhelming, and it's just incredible,” Fuller said. “It shows that there is faith in humanity.”
‘Planning to rebuild’
Ami Kendall was tickled by what survived the inferno: Pink flamingos in her yard she had bought at Costco, the frame of her grandmother's manual lawnmower and a little teacup.
She grew up here, and bought the home from her mom in 2001. Now ash and rubble remain. They’ve had close calls with fire, including in the 1990s, when fire jumped the river and gnawed at the edges of their neighborhood. In recent years, evacuations have almost felt like an annual occurrence. Some neighbors have seen their insurance policies canceled.
“I always panic,” she said of the orders, “and this is exactly why.”
Kendall’s mom and stepdad, in their 70s, were the only ones home when they had to grab their things and flee the approaching blaze. They left the sprinkler on before leaving, which melted in their lawn. Kendall hiked over a hill and back into the neighborhood Sunday morning, she snapped photos and fled, again. There was still active fire in the area. She doesn’t yet know if her cats made it, but fears the worst.
“You just kind of need to know so you know what you're looking at going forward,” she said. “They couldn't tell us anything.”
Down the stairs inside the foundation of her home Tuesday, her son Karsen, was tilling through ashy insulation and crumbled walls. They came in to see what they could salvage. From the photos she took Sunday morning, she could tell the flamingos were standing.
As she’s been figuring out next steps, help has poured in from her workplace and her neighbors.
“We’re all planning to rebuild,” she said.
Gridlock, then a return
Robert Grabb pressure washed a “thank you” note for firefighters in the coat of fire retardant in front of his family’s home.
They could see the flames running into their neighborhood just minutes after they heard the Old Trails fire had jumped the river. Mallary Grabb was hyper-focused on getting their five miniature schnauzers into the car. As she picked up her last pup, she looked up and saw the retardant raining down. She crouched around her dog as she was sprayed.
It happened so fast, she said, scrolling the images on her phone. First, a smoke plume clouding the sky, then flames racing toward them. They ran over to help an elderly neighbor get out of her garage — the power had already been shut off and they needed to hoist the door open. On the way out, they were trapped in gridlock traffic with everyone else seeking safety. They got separated from their son Brody, 16, who had taken a separate car.
But they made it out.
They didn’t want to cram in their adult son’s apartment, but all of the hotels practically from Kellogg, Idaho, to Moses Lake were full. So, they set up camp in a stadium parking lot.
They walked in the next morning to see what was left of their neighborhood. Brody ran ahead and called them with what he saw: Fire had burned all around them but their home was still standing. “That phone call was the best ever,” she said.
Though they’re back at home, they don’t feel like they can fully settle back in. Their dogs hide. They still have their bags ready and things sitting in the car. They’re worried about more fire weather in the forecast, and grappling with survivor’s remorse, Mallary said.
“I can only imagine their lifelong investment, and it's just gone,” Robert said of his neighbors who lost their homes. “That's probably a part that will always stick with you. You never ever, ever forget that again.”
Seattle Times photojournalist Nick Wagner contributed to this report.
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