Resources

What containment actually means

Containment is not how much of the fire is out. It is the share of the fire's perimeter that crews have a completed control line around — a barrier, dug or bulldozed or burned, that fire is not expected to cross. A fire can be 0% contained and barely moving, or 60% contained and still dangerous on the uncontained side.

1. 0% contained

   No completed line yet. Often that means crews are still building it, or the fire is too active or too remote to work directly. It does not mean nobody is fighting it.

2. Around 50% contained

   Half the perimeter is held. The remaining half is where the fire can still spread, and that is where the risk to homes sits. Which half matters more than the number.

3. 100% contained

   The whole perimeter is lined. Fire can still burn and smoke inside that boundary for weeks. Contained is not the same as controlled, and neither is the same as out.

Why the number can sit still, or go backwards

A figure can hold at the same value for days while crews reinforce line, and it can drop if wind pushes fire across a line that was previously counted as held. A rising percentage is good news about the perimeter, not a promise about your street. Evacuation levels, not containment, tell you whether to leave.

Shelter & temporary housing

A shelter is open at the Spokane Convention Center. Pets are welcome.

Airbnb.org helps arrange free temporary stays for people displaced by disasters. Eligibility and availability are determined by Airbnb.org and its local partners.

• Red Cross open shelters Search shelters by location redcross.org
• Airbnb.org emergency stays Free temporary housing for people displaced by disasters airbnb.org
• Call 211 for local help Food, housing, utilities and case management, by phone or online 211.org

After the fire: going home

Containment is climbing and some areas are reopening. Re-entry is set by your county emergency management office and by the incident team, never by this page — if a road is still closed, it is closed for a reason, and the most common one is a power line or a burnt culvert you cannot see from the car.

• Photograph everything before you clean up. Insurers work from evidence, and a cleared lot is a harder claim.
• Do not sift through ash without an N95, gloves and boots. Burnt structural ash carries asbestos, heavy metals and treated-timber residue.
• Assume anything in a fridge or freezer that lost power is spoiled, and do not taste it to check.
• If you are on a well and fire came through your property, have the water tested before you drink it.
• Nobody legitimate will demand cash up front to clear your lot or fix your roof. Get it in writing, check the contractor is registered, and report price gouging.

File your insurance claim early even if you do not yet know the full extent of the damage. Deadlines run from the date of loss, and the claim can be amended later.

• Filing a homeowner insurance claim Washington's insurance regulator, step by step insurance.wa.gov
• Disaster recovery & fraud warnings What to expect from your insurer, and the scams that follow a fire insurance.wa.gov
• Report price gouging or a bad contractor Washington State Attorney General consumer protection atg.wa.gov
• Federal disaster assistance Check what you may be eligible for and apply in one place disasterassistance.gov

Get help, donate, volunteer

The community response is larger than any one organisation. This is a short, checked list; the fullest running list is the Inlander's, and the city keeps a topic-by-topic index at spokanecommunityresources.org.

Where to find help

• City of Spokane resource index Dozens of resources sorted by what you need — food, housing, health, legal spokanecommunityresources.org
• Spokane Public Library fire resources Branches open for clean air, charging and rest, plus a resource list spokanelibrary.org
• Second Harvest — find food near you Mobile markets and partner food banks. No registration needed 2-harvest.org
• Spokane Helpers Network Free no-cook food delivered to people in shelters and hotels spokanehelpersnetwork.org
• SpokAnimal Free boarding for displaced cats and dogs, and pet food donations spokanimal.org
• The Inlander's running list Shelters, meals, respite, storage, connectivity — updated as things change inlander.com

Where to give

• Innovia Foundation wildfire fund Grants to nonprofits doing immediate and long-term recovery work innovia.org
• Catholic Charities Eastern Washington Emergency fund for essentials, housing and counselling cceasternwa.org
• City of Spokane H.O.M.E. fund Temporarily redirected to households affected by the fires my.spokanecity.org
• GoFundMe Washington relief hub Fundraisers GoFundMe has verified, for families and nonprofits gofundme.com
• Project Beauty Share Accepting unopened hygiene supplies for people who evacuated projectbeautyshare.org
• Volunteer with Second Harvest Shifts sorting and distributing food across the Inland Northwest 2-harvest.org

Charity codes

Codes as supplied, for workplace giving campaigns that ask for one. Each organisation's own site is linked beside it.

Verify any fundraiser before you give. Scammers impersonate real nonprofits and real families after a fire, and a name you recognise in a social post is not the same as a link you checked.

Smoke & air quality

Wildfire smoke affects everyone, and most seriously children, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with heart or lung conditions. Keep windows closed, run air on recirculate, and avoid outdoor exertion when readings are unhealthy.

• National Weather Service — Spokane Forecasts, Red Flag Warnings, and fire weather weather.gov/otx
• AirNow — Spokane air quality Current air quality index and smoke forecast airnow.gov
• Washington Smoke Information Daily statewide smoke outlook wasmoke.blogspot.com
• Wildfire smoke and your health Washington State Department of Health guidance doh.wa.gov
• Spokane Regional Health District Local health advisories, well water testing and ash cleanup srhd.org

Contacts

Life-threatening emergency

911

Fire information line

509-215-8236

Fire information email

2026.oldtrails@firenet.gov

Official sources & news

This site is not an official government source. These are.

• InciWeb incident updates Official incident reports, maps, and daily updates inciweb.wildfire.gov
• Watch Duty Volunteer-reported fire activity and alerts app.watchduty.org
• NIFC open fire data The dataset powering the live figures on this page data-nifc.opendata.arcgis.com
• Spokane County Emergency Management Evacuation levels and local emergency notices spokanecounty.gov
• Washington Emergency Management Statewide emergency information mil.wa.gov
• Washington DNR wildfire information State wildfire response and burn restrictions dnr.wa.gov
• WSDOT real-time travel map Road closures and conditions wsdot.com