Spokane conducts wildfire evacuation drills as officials warn of increased fire risk

SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane city officials conducted wildfire evacuation drills Saturday morning in the Eagle Ridge neighborhood to help residents prepare for potential fires.

The drill interrupted the quiet morning with emergency alerts as residents practiced evacuation procedures. It was the second drill in a planned series for different neighborhoods.

“We are performing the second of a series of wilderness evacuations that we are planning for different neighborhoods,” said Kate Telis, Spokane City Council member. “A lot of these are neighborhoods within the wilderness urban interface, and we are performing a drill to make sure that people have the adequate roads that they need to evacuate in a timely manner.”

Washington state has about 900 wildfires each year, with 70 percent happening in Eastern Washington, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources. City officials say wildfires are practically inevitable in the area.

Sarah Ness, City of Spokane Director of Emergency Management, explained evacuation priorities. “First things first make sure that people and pets are safe,” Ness said. “Take them with you, take your documents, its just get out of the area, get out safe, you can come back eventually.”

Officials are on high alert after a dry winter. Climate change is making the situation worse.

“As we have seen with climate change over the past decade, and increased temperatures every year across our summers is leading to the potential for more wildfires, whether that’s from human based or natural causes,” Ness said. “The wild fire risk is increasing so we need to be even more prepared.”

Officials were pleased with community participation in Saturday’s drill.

“We don’t know what we need to fix and what is working and what isn’t unless we can do these drills,” Telis said. “Its gonna take all of us to be safe, I’m thrilled to see that the community is actively engaged.”

Residents can sign up for Alert Spokane on the city’s website to receive wildfire alerts.