Homeowners clear fire-damaged trees following Autumn Lane Fire

SPOKANE, Wash. — Homeowners along Charles Road in the Nine Mile area is continuing to clear hazardous, fire-damaged trees after the Autumn Lane Fire.

Some homeowners are choosing to clear all of the burnt trees at once, while others, like Rozella Ehrler, are working through the process section by section.

Rozella’s home on Charles Road was lost in the fire, and she says dozens of burnt trees still remain. Since she is choosing to rebuild her home, she decided to cut down the trees herself, with the help of some friends.

“We’ve done over 30 trees so far, so we haven’t gotten, like, all of them quite[yet], but we’ve made good progress,” Ehrler said.

Rozella says tree cutting company quoted her more than $20,000 to remove all of her hazardous trees.

People in Charles Rd. area say utility companies like Avista and Inland Power & Light have also been cutting trees around power lines. Some charred trees remain marked with a pink “x” painted by the utility companies.

Rainfall this weekend left parts of the area damp, but no debris appeared to have washed out along Charles Road.

For some people in the community, it’s difficult to see the long-standing ponderosa pines be cut down, but some say the work is necessary.

“One of the things that I loved about my property was the privacy that I had. I could come out here and hide away in my home. I had trees all over,” Ehrler said. “It’s going to take many years before I have that privacy back that I loved and enjoyed out here.”