A fast-moving wildfire driven by strong winds and high temperatures swept across northwest Spokane on Saturday, jumping the Spokane River and forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes in what officials described as one of the most dangerous fire situations in recent years.
The Old Trails Fire started around noon on Saturday near Old Trails Road and West Euclid Road, burning brush and grass in an open area before quickly spreading north and east toward residential neighborhoods. Driven by wind gusts between 35 and 50 mph combined with single-digit humidity, the fire exploded from an estimated 50 acres to roughly 2,500 acres within just a few hours. By Saturday evening, nearly 4 square miles of terrain had burned, with zero containment as crews worked to battle the blaze.
The rapid spread caught residents in chaotic circumstances as they fled their homes. Cars lined the roads as families evacuated, and orange and red flames were visible from the highway. The blaze sent a massive plume of smoke billowing over the region, darkening the sky and reducing visibility. The fire’s speed and ferocity led officials to issue Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders, the highest evacuation level, for much of the city north of Francis Avenue and west of Division Street. Officials warned residents that conditions were changing rapidly and urged them to stay alert to changing evacuation orders.
Washington State Forester George Geissler reported at a Saturday evening news conference that the Old Trails Fire threatened approximately 4,000 buildings in the area. Some structures were lost, though officials did not yet have a solid count. The Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center, which houses patients and staff, was among the facilities evacuated. Twenty-seven patients were safely evacuated to area shelters, and the hospital was fully cleared.
The fire’s crossing of the Spokane River marked a dramatic escalation, carrying flames into the city itself and threatening Riverside State Park. The spread across the river was driven by the extreme winds, which continued to intensify throughout Saturday afternoon and evening.
In response to the extreme fire conditions, Governor Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency Saturday and issued a statewide burn ban. The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” red flag warning for eastern Washington—a designation reserved for the most severe fire weather conditions. Ferguson activated 110 members of the Washington National Guard to assist firefighting efforts, marking the first time the guard had been called in for a fire response since 2021. The Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office also mobilized 13 task forces to combat the growing threat.
Power company Avista implemented public safety shutoffs, cutting power to over 40,000 customers in the area as a precautionary measure due to extreme fire weather. The fire also burned into portions of Avista’s infrastructure, causing additional outages unrelated to the safety shutoffs. Avista said it would not restore power until conditions were deemed safe.
The extreme fire danger came as Washington faced a fourth consecutive statewide drought. More than 1,000 fires have burned approximately 425,000 acres across the state this year—the most burned since 2021. An evacuation shelter was opened at Spokane Falls Community College to house residents displaced by the fire. Officials urged evacuation traffic to move eastbound and use side streets to reduce congestion that was complicating the emergency response.
The cause of the Old Trails Fire remains under investigation. Firefighters faced an incredibly dangerous situation with historically strong winds and low humidity fueling extreme fire behavior and rapid growth in the area. As evening fell, officials warned that the full extent of destruction would not be known until morning light revealed what the rapidly spreading fire had consumed.