SPOKANE, Wash – Three years ago Tuesday, two fires 41 miles apart tore through thousands of acres of Spokane County, destroying 366 homes and nearly 400 other structures.
The Gray Fire forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 people in Medical Lake. Around the same time, the Oregon Road Fire drove more than 8,000 people from their homes.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources cites “extreme fire conditions and rapid spread” for the devastation from which people are still rebuilding.
One man died trying to escape the flames near Waterfront Park in Medical Lake.
Another man was killed in the Oregon Road Fire.
DNR blames a malfunctioning Inland Power light pole for sparking the Gray Fire. More that 40 families and multiple insurance agencies are suing the utility company. The largest of those cases is scheduled to go to trial in January.
DNR is also suing Inland Power for the cost of fighting the fire.
Inland Power denies responsibility.
DNR says spontaneous combustion was to blame for the Oregon Road fire, as investigators found cured/dry grasses misex with seasoned lumber under a tarp.
The recovery from those fires continues three years later, right as another firestorm swept through Spokane County, destroying more than 700 homes.
COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
