‘An extremely traumatic situation for the entire community’: How schools near Spokane fires fared
The Spokane Complex fire burned to the edges of at least three schools in Spokane and Mead, school officials said.
Almost 9,000 acres of land throughout Eastern Washington burned Saturday during Spokane’s first “particularly dangerous Situation” red flag warning. Some schools, such as Indian Trails Elementary, were in Level 3 “go now” evacuation zones. Spokane-area schools, for the most, survived the fires unscathed.
Spokane Public Schools
The Old Trails fire, which was over 3,600 acres as of Monday afternoon, almost burned part of Flett Middle School, barely missing the school’s access road by 100 feet, said Adam Swinyard, Spokane Public Schools superintendent, and the fire came within a block of Indian Trails Elementary. Spokane Public Schools buildings survived the fire, but not homes of families and staff. While numbers are changing as new information becomes available, Swinyard said, 30 SPS employees lost their homes, and more than 1,000 were evacuated.
“This is an extremely traumatic situation for the entire community, particularly impactful on kids,” he said. “Home is such a core of a child’s psyche of security, and when that is fractured, that can cause a significant wound and trauma for kids.”
In the wake of the fire’s uncertainty, SPS turned Shadle Park High School into a day camp for children 4 years and older from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The camp will continue for the rest of the week, with free lunch being served each day at noon, as the community rebuilds. Parents are encouraged to drop off their kids as they take a few hours to sort their affairs.
“Not only is it an opportunity for them to have a sense of normalcy, but also to give parents a little bit of a reprieve, give them a chance to run errands, do laundry and just kind of get their feet underneath them,” Swinyard said.
Shadle Park High School will also host a clothing closet and a fire recovery resource fair later this week. Swinyard said his goal is to make the school a hub for SPS families.
Andrea Arnold, a mom of four SPS students, dropped three of her kids off at Shadle Park’s day camp Monday morning so she could go out and help her hurting community. She lives in the downriver area near the VA hospital, and said the fire caused minor damage to the outside of her house.
“I’m going to be donating food and clothing and time for cleanup, and we’ve offered rooms in our home and a place to stay,” she said.
She said she’s touched by the community coming together to support each other with resources like the day camp .
Great Northern School District
The Old Trails fire reached the edge of the Great Northern School District’s playground, but did not affect the schoolhouse, Superintendent Kelly Shea said. The school did lose its well to the fire, and is in the process of working with insurance to fix it. Shea, however, is most worried about the health and safety of his students and staff.
“I’m more concerned with our families,” he said. “I’m aware of two now that may have lost their house, and we’re just trying to figure out how many other families were impacted.”
Mead School District
Six schools in the Mead School District are in a Level 3 “go now” evacuation zone, but no schools have been damaged so far, spokesperson Todd Zeidler said. The district doesn’t have numbers of families and staff without homes due to the Fairview fire.
Mt. Spokane High School is being used a base for wildland firefighters, he said, much like it was during the Upriver fire last month. All district-sponsored student activities and events are canceled for the rest of the week as officials monitor weather and fire conditions.
Nine Mile Falls School District
All the schools in the Nine Mile Falls School District are currently OK, said Superintendent Jeff Baerwald, including both Lakeside High School and Nine Mile Falls Elementary School which are near the Auburn Lane fire. Baerwald visited the high school to confirm its status, but has not yet been inside the elementary school.