Spokane — Residents of Nine-Mile Falls are returning to their community following the Autumn Lane fire. With State Route 291 now open, many are confronting the extensive damage left behind.
Driving through the fire’s perimeter on West Charles Road reveals the scope of destruction: downed fences, charred forests, and ash where homes once stood.
Yet among the burn scars, some structures survived.
Shaun Kelsey is one of the fortunate few whose home remained standing.
He remembers evacuating to a nearby fire station and then watching the fire burn his neighborhood.
“Since my cameras were still working, I kept watching those,” Kelsey said.
Eventually, the cameras went dead. For a while, Shaun thought his house was gone. “My mind went blank, I guess … things I should have moved or got out,” he said.
But Kelsey was one of the lucky ones. The Autumn Lane fire destroyed his shop, but firefighters say his well-watered lawn and maintained trees stopped the fire from moving to his house.
Mike Anderson experienced similar fortune. “I think in this area, we are 1 in 7 that survived,” Anderson said. His tool shed is rubble now, but his house still stands. His neighbors’ homes were leveled, and Anderson says he doesn’t expect they’ll rebuild.
“A lot of sadness and losing some great neighbors on this. And, it’s part of the way it is, you know?” Anderson said.
Lieutenant Chris Pauletto from Spokane County Fire District 9 understands the unpredictable nature of the disaster.
“It’s like trying to direct a tornado. Some are going to get hit, some aren’t,” Pauletto said.
Now that people are starting to return home, Pauletto wants the community to know that firefighters are still there to help them pick up the pieces.
Spokane County Fire District 9 is offering masks, Tyvek suits, and shovels to returning households.
These clean up kits are at Station 93.
“If they need help, reach out,” Pauletto said.
COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
