Good morning, Spokane!
We’re not going to pretend this is a normal Monday. Over the weekend the Spokane Area Fires — Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane — swept in from Airway Heights, jumped the river, and forced tens of thousands of our neighbors out of their homes. Hundreds of houses are gone. If you’re reading this from a shelter, a friend’s couch, or your own kitchen with the windows taped shut, we’re thinking of you.
Today we’re setting the events and the recap aside. The most useful thing a little local newsletter can do this morning is point you to the people with the real-time information and the folks who could use a hand. Here’s what’s inside:
The air quality picture, and what it means for today
Where to get real-time evacuation and fire updates
How to help neighbors who lost everything
Take care of each other out there.
— Laina & Lucas Wyland
🌫️ How’s the air?
Wildfire smoke has settled over the region, and it’s the thing to watch today. The Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency’s forecast has us in the Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy range through Monday — that’s everyone, not just sensitive groups. Keep the kids in, keep the windows shut, run the AC on recirculate if you’ve got it, and check the live reading before you step out. And don’t count on it clearing fast — with a high-pressure ridge parking over the region, forecasters expect the smoke to linger and worsen midweek before it lifts.
Where to get real-time updates
Fire conditions and evacuation zones are changing by the hour, so we're sending you straight to the sources that update in real time rather than printing numbers that'll be old by breakfast.
🗺️ Evacuation zones & orders: Spokane County Emergency Management keeps the official evacuation map and orders, and you can sign up for ALERT Spokane there. If you're in a Level 3 "Go Now" zone, go.
🔥 Fire status: The official incident page for the Spokane Area Fires (InciWeb) carries acreage, containment, and structure counts as they're confirmed.
📻 Live local coverage: KHQ's Washington Wildfires hub is running rolling updates.
Shelters are open. Evacuees can go to the Spokane Convention Center. The Spokane County Fairgrounds is taking RVs and large animals, and The Barking Lot in Spokane Valley is taking small pets. The Red Cross line is staffed around the clock: 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
How to help
If your home is safe and you're looking for a way to be useful, here are the vetted places doing the work right now:
❤️ Red Cross Washington Wildfires fund — supporting shelter, food, and relief across the affected counties.
🏠 City of Spokane — H.O.M.E. Starts Here fund — activated to accept donations for community members impacted by the fires; the city says every dollar goes to relief.
🧺 Partners Inland Northwest — accepting nonperishable food, clothing, diapers, and hygiene items at 10814 E. Broadway Ave. in Spokane Valley, weekdays 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
📋 KHQ is keeping a running list of ways to help as new needs come in.
A quick word before you donate goods: call or check the website first. Needs shift fast in the first days, and the last thing overwhelmed volunteers need is a pile of the wrong thing. When in doubt, cash to a named fund above does the most good, fastest.
Check on your people
You know who on your block shouldn't be breathing this air — the older neighbor, the friend with asthma, the family with a newborn. A knock on the door or a text to check they've got clean air and a plan goes a long way this week.
And if you've been evacuated or you're okay and just want us to know: hit reply. We read every one, and we'll help however a newsletter can.
We'll be back with your regular Spokane recap once the smoke clears. Until then — stay in, stay close, and look after each other.
Thank You!
Thanks for reading Spokane Pulse today. If you found something useful, please share our Newsletter and Instagram with someone you know. ❤️