SPOKANE, Wash. — Parts of Westgate Park in North Spokane remain closed to the public as the city works to recover from the devastation caused by the Old Trails Fire. The blaze left behind singed trees and ash where vegetation once thrived, transforming a beloved neighborhood gathering place into a landscape of loss.
The park has long served as a community hub, drawing dog walkers, families with children, and neighbors seeking outdoor recreation. For longtime residents like Lou Kurucz, the damage represents more than just environmental destruction—it marks the loss of a space that helped define his neighborhood.
“We were told before we even built the house that the plan was to put a park over here. And that was one of the reasons we went ahead and built,” he recalled. “I think that there were only two other houses on this street other than mine at the time.”
For years, Kurucz watched the park develop from his window, observing how it grew alongside the neighborhood. Now, that view has changed dramatically.
Stumps are left where damage assessment crews have taken down high-risk trees.
The director of the City of Spokane Parks Department Garrett Jones estimates 1,000 trees in total have been removed from public parks property or right of way streets.
The fire completely destroyed the playground and horseshoe pits—structures that had become central to the park’s appeal.
A playground renovation was already scheduled to begin this fall, funded by money from the Together Spokane Levy.
“The decision was to really double down to continue that project on schedule, to give again, a little bit of hope or something to the neighborhood,” Jones said.
Jones says any disaster assistance funds the city receives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, will also be put towards restoring the parks.
“Neighbors are going to be displaced from each other for a long time. And so, we just want to provide this community space back to them,” Jones said.
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