2023 Wildfires

Hundreds of firefighters swarmed Elk and the West Plains to battle the devastating Oregon Road and Gray fires.

For nine years, Jodi Rivas has matched the Christmas wishes of Medical Lake children with donors who buy those gift requests. Also a Medical Lake resident, Rivas decided for this holiday season, she had to do more for her town after the summer's Gray fire. Rivas extended the gift drive to any neighbor who lost a home or had a financial hit because of the disaster, including adults without kids. This time, donors covered entire families and were from across the region. Requests were humble, "lamps, extension cords, a snow shovel, cleaning supplies, warm socks, a jacket, a robe ... They just want a little bit of home back."

Terri Cooper has been working toward something her entire life, but until recently she just wasn’t sure what that might be.

Five years ago, a prophetic email landed in Cody Rohrbach’s inbox.

Three months ago, Hallett Elementary resembled a picture book, nestled in a grove of ponderosa pine trees and marshy wetlands. The first-graders could look out their classroom windows to see nature and wildlife: squirrels scurrying along the dirt and birds whistling through the air.

Thousands of phones across Spokane County buzzed on Friday, Aug. 18.

State reps. Mike Volz and Suzanne Schmidt are asking the Legislature to dial back new building code regulations in the hopes it will make reconstruction easier for those who lost their homes in the Gray and Oregon Road fires.

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz on Wednesday held a press conference near Olympia to discuss the 165,365 acres of land that burned in 2023 across the Evergreen State.

Gov. Jay Inslee warned the disaster relief process could be slow during a visit to the Red Cross in Spokane Thursday amid ongoing efforts to pick up the pieces after August fires devastated the communities of Medical Lake and Elk. He also praised the emergency responders who protected the communities from even worse disaster.