'It's apocalyptic.' A look at the aftermath of catastrophic fires in Spokane
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Climate
'It's apocalyptic.' A look at the aftermath of catastrophic fires in Spokane
KUOW |<br>By<br>Megan Farmer
Published August 7, 2026 at 11:47 AM PDT
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
David White looks through what remains of his mother Susan White’s home — the home that he grew up in — on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in northwest Spokane. “We’re treasure hunting and making new memories,” said his brother, Mark.
Looking west on West Excell Avenue at the intersection of North Sutherlin Street, you’ll see nothing but homes burned to the ground for as far as the eye can see.<br>And there’s so much more that the eye can’t see. In northwest Spokane, barricades block streets surrounding the worst of the destruction, and in some areas, vehicles aren’t able to enter or exit.<br>Evacuees are living in a state of purgatory. Along Indian Trail Road, residents are transporting their belongings and supplies on foot, in wagons, on Lime scooters, on bicycles — or they're taking rides from neighbors who have space in their vehicles inside the evacuation zones.
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KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
A staircase, pink from fire retardant, leads to nowhere following devastating fires that burned hundreds of homes to the ground, on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, in the Pacific Park neighborhood of northwest Spokane.
And the trio of fires are raging on. A large portion of the Balboa neighborhood was completely leveled by the Old Trails fire, and it continues to burn, as do the Autumn Lane and Fairview fires.<br>As of this writing, at least 900 structures have been lost in the blazes, and 67,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
Lauren McKean, 17, walks through what remains of her burned down home, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, in the Balboa neighborhood of northwest Spokane.
“This is by far and large the worst one we’ve ever been on," said Steve Moyer, a firefighter with the Moses Lake Fire Department. "Like, hands down."<br>They usually do about half a dozen state mobilizations per year, he said.<br>“I mean, you’re in a neighborhood right now and there isn’t a single house standing," Moyer said. His team of firefighters — from both Moses Lake and Santa Fe, New Mexico — was looking for hot spots in a completely leveled cul-de-sac.<br>"It's apocalyptic," he said. "I don't know how anyone didn't die in this neighborhood, that we know of yet. This is sad for everyone."
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
Firefighters from several states, including California, Utah, Oregon and New Mexico, have joined the fight.
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Above, Joaquim Ceballos, left, and Silvestre Andrade, right, from Porterville, California, rest in the shade near their tents after an overnight shift of fighting fire, on Wednesday, August 5, at the fairgrounds in Spokane. Temperatures on Wednesday were over 90 degrees, which made sleeping in tents in direct sunlight difficult.<br>The fairgrounds have been transformed into a base camp for firefighters and an incident command center.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
A melted light post is shown after fires destroyed hundreds of structures earlier in the week, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, in the Balboa neighborhood of northwest Spokane.
Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said in a press conference that this is the worst natural disaster in the region's history.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
Evacuation orders are still in place in many areas, but some residents are returning to look for anything at all that remains.<br>Above, Andy and Angela McKean look at a bracelet in their family safe, belonging to Angela’s grandmother, Juanita.<br>The bracelet had a charm for every one of Juanita's children, grandchildren, and great-grand children. In the background, their son, Colin McKean, 15, looks through what remains of what was once his bedroom.
"We're just numb," said Angela McKean. "It's too hard to process."
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Megan Farmer /KUOW
A portion of the Balboa neighborhood is completely leveled by fire on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, in northwest Spokane.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer
Above, Andy McKean hands a ring that was found in their family’s safe to his 17-year-old daughter, Lauren McKean, as they search through the wreckage of their home. The ring belonged to Lauren’s great-grandmother, Juanita.<br>Lauren McKean was home alone when the fires tore through. She saved Deebo, their family's...