Spokane Wildfires: Red Cross Helping as Residents Return Home

Man in Red Cross vest talks with three women, one wearing a white hazmat suit.

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Red Cross volunteer Chris Gallego (left) talks with residents Laura Velazquez (second from right), Haidee Solis (right), and Josefina Piñazo (second from left) about how they are doing and what they need as they work where their home once stood in the Rifle Club neighborhood of Spokane. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross shirt moves pallet of cases of water.

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WAREHOUSE READY Red Cross volunteer Fred Lehman guides a pallet of water, part of the emergency supplies in the disaster relief operation warehouse in Airway Heights, WA near Spokane. Volunteers were setting up the new warehouse, unloading numerous trailers of relief supplies to be distributed to residents impacted by the wildfires. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Woman in Red Cross vest speaks with man in shorts.

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SUPPORT WHERE NEEDED Red Cross volunteer Molly Halvorsen connects with David Jante, a Spokane resident displaced by the wildfires, as he comes to pick up hot lunches for his family. David is staying at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. The fairgrounds are being used as an ad hoc outdoor shelter where people under evacuation have brought livestock and stay in recreational vehicles, vans or other sheltering resources. The Red Cross is working with several community partners to provide services to impacted residents wherever they are staying in a way that reflects their sheltering preferences. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross vest hands meals to man with blond hair.

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WHERE ARE WE? Jos Ostrander takes a hot lunch meal. He is staying in a recreational vehicle at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center after being evacuated due to the wildfires.
Jos and partner had just begun subletting a friend’s basement in Spokane Valley when the wildfires forced them to evacuate. They secured a recreational vehicle they could stay in at the fairgrounds. New to the Spokane area, he described how unsettling it was to evacuate. “We were just starting to get stuff unpacked and the phones start going off with ‘hey, level 2 warning.’ It was immediately like, hold on – where are we right now? Because I’ve never been in this area, I didn’t even know the address yiet of the house we were moving into. I’m looking at the map and I’m like, I think we’re right there. We need to keep a watch out. An hour later it was no longer a watch.” Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Men in Red Cross vests push dolly with large totes.

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WILDFIRE KITS Red Cross volunteers wheel a dolly laden with wildfire kits to distribute at the Disaster Assistance Center set up at Shadle Park High School in Spokane, WA. The wildfire kits include supplies for people who are returning to homes impacted by wildfire damage, and include safety equipment such as N95 masks, gloves, goggles, eye drops as well as water and shelf-stable meals. The Disaster Assistance Center is a centralized resource hub where dozens of community organizations, including the Red Cross, help provide emergency support and resources to people impacted by nearby wildfires in eastern Washington. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross vest hands mask to woman in black shirt.

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SEEK AND SUPPLY Red Cross responder Jake Janecek distributes N95 masks to Leanne Dillingham, a resident in the Suncrest area of Nine Mile Falls, WA. Leanne’s home was spared from wildfire damage, but harmful smoke and particulates fill the air. Jake and his team are on a seek and supply mission to distribute wildfire kits and other emergency supplies to people with homes impacted by wildfire damage. They are also gathering information about where other people in the area may need emergency support as well as community organizations already helping impacted residents. This area is one of the first impacted areas to reduce the evacuation risk to a Level 1. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross vest pushes dolly filled with pet supplies.

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HELPING HAND Volunteer Dave McPhail pushes a dolly filled with pet supplies to help other volunteers for an animal care organization set up next to the Red Cross tent outside the Disaster Assistance Center in Spokane. Throughout the day, various organizations are dropping off more emergency supplies to support local residents impacted by nearby wildfires. Dozens of organizations are collaborating with each other and helping each other by sharing dollies and carrying supplies for each other. The Disaster Assistance Center brings together dozens of organizations to offer emergency resources to residents impacted by the wildfires, including insurance agencies, internet and cellular companies, animal care organizations, meal providers, social welfare non-profits, government agencies and more. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Man in Red Cross vest loads wildfire kit into a couple’s car.

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DISTRIBUTING SUPPLIES Red Cross volunteer Todd Moskowitz (right) loads a wildfire kit into the car of local residents Jeff and Kathy Cheney (left) at the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) established at Shadle Park High School for people impacted by the fires. The wildfire kits contain safety equipment for residents with fire damage to their homes, including eye drops, work gloves, Tyvek suits, safety goggles, shoe covers, N95 masks, hand sanitizer – all of which can be stored and disposed of in the plastic containers after they have been used and contaminated with burn residue. The kits also include shelf-stable self-heating meals, waters and snacks. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Two men in Red Cross shirts get meals to deliver to wildfire victims from a man in a VFW shirt.

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PARTNERS HELPING Red Cross volunteers Anthony DeGeorge (left) and Russell Dillon (right) get ready to bring meals prepared by the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) outpost, including VFW volunteer John Clark (center), to evacuees staying at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center. The local VFW is partnering with the Red Cross to prepare dozens of hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner using their permanent kitchen kiosk at the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds are being used as an ad hoc outdoor shelter where people under evacuation have brought livestock and stay in recreational vehicles, vans or other self-selected sheltering resources. The Red Cross is working with several community partners to support impacted residents in a way that reflects their sheltering preferences, such as an animal care organization to help support evacuated livestock and Veterans of Foreign Wars to help provide meals for residents. Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

August 13, 2026

'We lost everything, but we didn’t lose our lives'

Residents are starting to return to their Spokane neighborhoods, some feeling blessed because their home survived, many finding everything gone where their homes once stood.

As they come back home, the American Red Cross is there, offering support and handing out supplies which include unique wildfire safety equipment people need as they return.

WE LOST EVERYTHING, BUT WE DIDN’T LOSE OUR LIVES. Haidee Solis returned to the Rifle Club neighborhood where she found her home was gone. She and her family had evacuated very quickly, taking only a few things with them.

“We were watching the fire on an app. It was across the river. We never thought it was going to cross,” Haidee recalled. “In less than five minutes it crossed the river. We have a three-year-old and a five-year-old, so we put them in the car, grabbed clothes and a few pictures. We were trying to go back, but we saw the ashes coming down, so we just drove away.”

She’s worried about her kids. “As we were leaving, the houses in front exploded,” she said. “It was traumatic, especially for them. They’re so young and they’re trying to figure out when we are going home, when is this gonna be over. We’re trying our hardest to get a stable home right now, I think that’s what they need. We lost everything, but we didn’t lose our lives. I think that’s the most important. It’s been a hard week but just keep pushing.”

RED CROSS HELPING Hundreds of Red Cross disaster workers are providing safe shelter, meals and snacks, health and mental health support and distributing relief items.

Disaster Health Services volunteers are replacing medications, medical equipment and eyeglasses that people lost while evacuating. We are also handing out comfort kits with things like toothbrushes and personal toiletries.

The Red Cross is coordinating with local fire departments and other partners to provide emergency supplies near points of re-entry as well as on mobile routes through areas known to have received fire damage. They are also delivering wildfire kits to organizations representing residents who may not have yet connected with the Red Cross for help.

Disaster teams are distributing wildfire kits that include safety equipment including eye drops, work gloves, Tyvek suits, safety goggles, shoe covers, N95 masks, hand sanitizer – all of which can be stored and disposed of in the plastic containers after they have been used and contaminated with burn residue. The kits also include shelf-stable self-heating meals, waters and snacks.

Even as the Red Cross is helping in Spokane, we continue to respond across multiple states to support the families and communities impacted by other massive fires burning across the West. Shelters are open in California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington

Over the past several months, more than 1,100 Red Cross disaster responders have been supporting people impacted by the fires. They have served more than 18,200 meals and more than 24,600 snacks; opened as many as 62 shelters and provided more than 4,300 overnight stays; and distributed over 32,800 relief items.

HOW YOU CAN HELP Families are depending on the Red Cross for assistance right now, and we need your support. Help people affected by western wildfires in 2026. Donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country.

You can also help by becoming a volunteer. Volunteers comprise more than 90% of the Red Cross disaster workforce and make it possible for us to respond every year to an average of about 60,000 disasters in the U.S. — most of which are home fires. After large disasters, the Red Cross first depends on pre-trained volunteers to travel to the disaster zone to help people in need. Those who are interested in getting trained to volunteer should contact their local chapter or visit redcross.org/volunteer.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster.

Mission Leader Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Bank of America; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Dollar General; Ford Philanthropy; Lowe's; State Farm

ADGP Leaders: Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Caterpillar Foundation; Chick-fil-A; CMA CGM Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Honda; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Mastercard; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Nationwide Foundation; PetSmart Charities; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; Takeda; Truist Foundation; USAA; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; Wells Fargo Foundation

ADGP Members: ALDI; The Allstate Foundation; Altria Group; Aon; Baxter International Foundation; Bread Financial; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; Edison International Foundation; Elevance Health Foundation; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fox Corporation; GE Aerospace Foundation; General Motors; Google.org; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Marathon Petroleum Corporation; Microsoft; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PayPal; Stryker; Suburban Propane; Target; The Winn-Dixie Company; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco; Wingstop Restaurants; Zoetis Foundation

Disaster Responder Program Members: 3M; 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe Foundation; The AES Corporation; Aflac; Albemarle Corporation; The Allstate Foundation; American Family Insurance; American Water Charitable Foundation; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AstraZeneca; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Blue Cross Blue Shield Association; Build-A-Bear Foundation; Canadian National Railway; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Cisco Systems, Inc. and Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; CSX; The Deluxe Foundation; DENSO North America Foundation; DHL Supply Chain; DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dollar General; Dollar Tree; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Coffee; Edward Jones; Eli Lilly and Company Foundation; Enbridge; Equitable ; Erie Insurance; Farmers Insurance®; Fastenal; GEICO Philanthropic Foundation; Grainger; HP Foundation; International Paper; Invitation Homes; John Deere; Johnson & Johnson Foundation; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation ; L'Oréal Groupe; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo ; Liberty Mutual Insurance; LKQ; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Martin Marietta; Masco Corporation; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; Mutual of Omaha Foundation; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Nike Foundation; Norfolk Southern; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Old Republic; Pacific Life Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Phillips 66; Pilot Company; Prudential; QBE Foundation; Qualcomm; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reynolds American Inc.; RGA Foundation; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Salesforce; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Sunbelt Rentals; T-Mobile; Tennant Company; Toyota Tsusho America, Inc.; Uber; U-Haul International; Uber; Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation; US Foods; Westlake Corporation; Yum! Brands; Zurich

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.