SPOKANE — Residents in Spokane’s Northwood neighborhood spent Monday meeting with insurance agents and scrubbing flame retardant from their homes and vehicles, as cleanup from the Upriver Fire got underway.
Even residents who did not lose their homes say the cleanup process could stretch on for hours, weeks or months.
Kim De Lisle lives next door to one of the homes destroyed in the fire. Her house is still standing, but the side and back sustained heat damage. De Lisle says she is taking it one day at a time.
“It’s very inconvenient. But we can live with inconvenience, right? And I know that each day, we’re going to have more answers,” De Lisle said.
The damage inside De Lisle’s home is significant enough that she and her husband will not be able to move back in for three to four months.
For others in the neighborhood, the cleanup was more manageable. Rebecca Osborne spent several hours scrubbing flame retardant off her car.
“It’s in literally every crack and crevice, but I’m just so grateful that I have a car and a home,” Osborne said.
Next door, Kirk Sexton hired a cleaning crew to remove retardant from his house. Sexton also posted a sign in his front yard to recognize everyone pitching in during the recovery.
“I put up the sign because, you know, it’s not just for the first responders. It’s for all these people that are just getting to work cleaning their neighborhood,” Sexton said.
De Lisle says her faith has also helped carry her through the experience.
“We just give God the glory for saving our home,” she said.
Correction: A previous story gave a suggested nonprofit from the county where people could donate, but we were informed they’re not taking donations for fire survivors.
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