A month after Spokane fires, families grapple with insurance and debris

SPOKANE, Wash. — One month after three devastating fires swept through the Spokane area, hundreds of families are still grappling with the long and complicated process of rebuilding their lives.

The fires began on Saturday, August 1st, when the first blaze ignited southwest of Airway Heights and spread rapidly northeast toward the city. A second fire started just west of Spokane, followed by a third on the eastern part of the city. The three blazes prompted state resources to mobilize, drawing fire crews from as far away as California.

Today, the Rifle Club Road area remains largely unchanged from the immediate aftermath. The smell of smoke still lingers, and most houses remain as burned-out shells waiting to be cleared away.

Cindy and Dwight Cooper were on a cruise celebrating Cindy’s retirement when the fires struck. They returned to find their home gone and their neighborhood leveled.

“This cul-de-sac was like an extended family. I think that’s, to me, the hardest part, because it was our community,” Cindy Cooper said.

The couple has been working with their insurance company but has not received any payments yet. They have been forced to pay for cleanup costs out of pocket.

“That financial crunch is really problematic still. We still don’t have that settled,” Dwight Cooper said.

Before they can clear debris away, they must have it checked for asbestos. The Coopers said they would like more guidance on how this process works or to see it streamlined.

As they enter the second month of recovery, the Coopers emphasize the importance of ongoing community support.

“The community’s kind of gotten into this thing that it’s not just a one day or one week or one month kind of support. It needs to be ongoing, and we’ve been feeling that,” Dwight Cooper said.

For families throughout the affected neighborhoods, the road to recovery will be long, but community support may be just as important as the financial resources needed to rebuild.