SPOKANE, Wash – For the hundreds of families who lost homes in the Spokane area wildfires, the loss is more than just material. For many, they lost the neighborhoods they love.
When Pat and Allie Hyams moved back to Spokane with their sons in 2019, they knew they wanted to live by the Spokane River.
When a house went up for sale in the Wind River/Westgate neighborhood, they had a feeling it was just what they were looking for.
“When we drove in, a school bus came through – the bus stop is right there – and it let off, like, 25 kids,” Allie Hyams remembers. “We were like, okay, this is a really family-friendly neighborhood.”
It has turned into exactly that for the Hyams and their twin sons Shaun and Colin.
On any other summer day, Allie knows exactly what they and their friends would be doing.
“The boys would be out playing basketball, they’d be on their bikes. Our garage would be open – they’d probably be in the fridge, drinking our Gatorade.”
Instead, there’s an eerie quiet on North Deschutes Drive. August 1st, the Old Trails Fire jumped the Spokane River not far from here and ripped through the neighborhood.
Allie and her family had about 20 minutes to get out.
“I was like – I think we’re going to lose our house,” she said. “And we did. We didn’t find out until Sunday that we lost it.”
This neighborhood looks like so many after the fires. The Hyams’ house is gone. On either side of them, one home is gone and the other was untouched by the flames.
While they’ve found a furnished rental and are buying clothes and other supplies, it’s hard not to think about what can’t be replaced.
“You think about all the things you would have grabbed. And the things you can’t get back. The kids’ drawings… their hands were only so small for a short period of time,” Allie said.
Several of the boys’ friends lost their homes as well, and families that once saw each other every day are now communicating through group chats from rentals and Air BnBs across Spokane County.
That connection is helping neighbors find contractors and answer questions only known through this shared experience.
The conversations are, right now, about one thing.
“The biggest thing we’re discussing right now is do we rebuild or do we sell,” Allie said. “We met with our adjuster yesterday and so we got a better picture of what the best path forward is. We obviously want to stay with all our neighbors because it’s the best neighborhood.”
As a former TV journalist and current communications professional at Providence, Allie is used to tackling lists and deadlines. In those roles, she covered fires and hurricanes, then worked in communications for a hospital group during the COVID pandemic.
Now, she’s in the middle of the most important assignment of her career: navigating grief, along with taking the necessary steps to rebuild.
“I’m a mom, that’s my job,” she said. “So, okay, we’re going to be sad but – we also have to get dinner.”
The Hyams family is focused now on getting the rebuilding process started and getting Shaun and Colin ready to start fourth grade.
While their neighbors may not be right across the street right now, the connection is never far away.
“I don’t want to say it’s one step at a time. It’s not. It’s 100 steps in different directions that all go back to one sole purpose and that’s to take care of my family and get them stability.”
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