I post this late loose thread with a heavy heart for the destruction of the “Joel” building. It’s one of my earliest memories of Spokane; my brother’s name is Joel, and I believe my family took a photo of the building as we drove through on a family vacation 14 years before I moved here.

But I think we’re all thankful that there aren’t any fatalities reported so far, and we all hope the best for the firefighter who was injured in a fall. Ongoing coverage here .