Spokane Wildfires: Thousands Still Waiting to Return Home as Elevated Fire Weather Threatens

Man in Red Cross vest looks out on people in disaster shelter

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People in Spokane, Washington stay in a Red Cross shelter at the Spokane Convention Center to escape the smoke and flames from three wildfires that broke out and quickly moved to populated areas. Early estimates report as many as 700 homes have been destroyed. Red Cross photo by Kristine Goodwillie

Woman wrapped in Red Cross blanket sits in a shelter.

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When the notification came to evacuate, Connie Foy and her cat Jethro quickly left their Spokane home. Without any family nearby and no updates on the status of her home, she stayed overnight at the Red Cross shelter. The comfort kit she was given included supplies to wash her face and brush her teeth. The simple act helped her feel better amidst all the uncertainty. “I didn’t know how badly I needed to wash my face and brush my teeth until I got to," she said. Your financial donation allows the Red Cross to provide shelter, meals, comfort kits and more to victims like Connie and Jethro during disasters.

Woman in Red Cross vest stands with woman in gray sweatshirt

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Linda Murphy and her husband were staying at the Red Cross shelter in the Jenkins Jr/Sr High School. She was making cookies for church when she learned she needed to evacuate. "My husband came in and said, 'We need to get out of here now,” she recalled. They left home with little time to prepare and spent two nights sleeping in their truck, worried about what would happen next. "It was just horrible wondering what was going to happen to our neighbors or what was going to happen to us,” she said. After arriving at a Red Cross shelter, they found comfort, support and a place where they could keep their cat with them. "From the minute we got here, they hugged us, told us we could get a warm meal and a shower and that we could keep our cat." Although Linda's home was saved, some of her neighbors lost theirs. "It's hard for me because I feel so blessed," she said. Red Cross photo by Kristin Goodwillie

Woman in Red Cross vest sits in shelter with another woman

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"Compassionate listening" is the service Diane Hermanson is providing most often to wildfire evacuees at the Spokane Convention Center this week. "I sit with people and let them talk. I ask them questions to understand what they're going through," Diane explains. Diane has more than 15 years of volunteer experience with the American Red Cross, deploying to disasters near and far in her capacity as a nurse. Today she is deployed in her hometown of Spokane, Washington, helping her neighbors. Red Cross photo by Betsy Robertson

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Max, Freya and Lucky - these siblings evacuated their home in the Indian Trail neighborhood as wildfire flames came closer and closer. Their family arrived at the Red Cross shelter in Spokane and received a crate, food, water and litter ─ all the things a feline might need in an emergency. “We’re very thankful for the Red Cross,” mom Erin said. “They’ve been taking care of us.” Red Cross photo by Betsy Robertson

Woman in Red Cross vest talks with two people in a shelter.

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Regional Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross Northwest Region Megan Dulgar talks with people impacted by the Spokane wildfires. The Red Cross has several shelters open where volunteers are providing meals, comfort kits and other critical relief services.

Woman in red hat and vest serves meal to man with his back to the camera.

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Red Cross volunteer Sandy Roderick, from the Tri-Cities area in southeastern Washington, passes out dinner meals at the shelter in Kettle Falls, WA. Sandy first started volunteering with the Red Cross after wildfires impacted her previous home near Paradise, CA. The shelter in Kettle Falls is near the Colville Reservation, which has been heavily impacted by evacuation orders. The facility has become a community hub with local partners connect with impacted residents who are both staying at the shelter and elsewhere. “People that are coming in to receive services do not have to be staying in the shelter overnight,” Sandy said. “There are people out in the community that are without homes; they may have other places to stay. Some of them sleep in their cars, but they can come here, they can rest here, get a free meal and take a shower.” Photo by Jason Colston/American Red Cross

Skies are bright orange from glow of the wildfires.

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Fires light up the sky over Tonasket, Washington. It’s been almost a week since catastrophic wildfires broke out in and around Spokane, Washington, forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate. Photo by Melissa Falk/American Red Cross

August 07, 2026

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.

It’s been almost a week since catastrophic wildfires broke out in and around Spokane, Washington, forcing more than 60,000 people to evacuate. The fires are still burning and many of these people remain out of their homes, not knowing if their property is among the 900 structures damaged or destroyed. The American Red Cross and partners are helping people across the region, providing necessities like food, shelter, emotional care and other critical services.

Elevated wildfire conditions will return for the next several days which could spark new fires. People should remain vigilant, stay prepared to evacuate and follow instructions from local authorities.

The fires are impacting the air quality across the region, alerts in effect for much of the Northwest. Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. This includes children, the elderly, and people with respiratory problems.

PHONES NEVER STOPPED RINGING Almost immediately after the fires around Spokane began, Red Cross disaster workers were working around the clock to respond to the growing needs across the region. Shelters were opened, supplies delivered and teams from across the country deployed to join the local volunteers already helping.

As the Red Cross worked to open shelters and support people affected by the wildfires, longtime Spokane Red Cross staff member Megan Snow stepped into an unexpected role. She spent the day answering calls on the Spokane office's main phone line while disaster workers focused on shelter operations.

The phone never stopped ringing. For nearly seven hours, Snow spoke with people experiencing some of the worst moments of their lives. Every caller needed something different. Some were looking for shelter information. Others needed help locating loved ones, understanding available resources or simply finding reassurance amid so much uncertainty. Read more here.

WASHINGTON, OREGON Even as the Red Cross is helping in Spokane, we continue to provide support to the families and communities impacted by the massive fires in Oregon and other regions of Washington. Red Cross disaster teams have numerous shelters open in both states where volunteers are providing meals and snacks, relief items and health and mental health services.

In Oregon there are 58 fires burning involving 100 acres or more. There are 16 large fires currently burning in Washington and there were 273 fires in July which consumed more than 331,000 acres. People are still being evacuated and elevated fire conditions will cover the states for several days.

Over the past several months, almost 900 Red Cross disaster responders have been supporting people impacted by the fires. They have served more than 8,000 meals and more than 17,000 snacks, opened as many as 46 shelters where they provided more than 3,000 overnight stays, and distributed more than 2,400 relief items.

NEED A SHELTER? You can find shelters by visiting redcross.org, using the free Red Cross Emergency app or by calling 1-800- RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). You can also check with local officials and monitor local news for information on where to get help. Anyone who has been affected is welcome to stop by a shelter for a hot meal, to charge their phone and get other support. We don’t ask for identification, and you don’t have to stay overnight.

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..

BLOOD SUPPLY CRISIS Meanwhile, the Red Cross has declared only the second national blood supply crisis in its history after blood donations fell to a four-year summer low, deepening an emergency shortage that threatens the availability of lifesaving blood for patients across the country. Don’t wait. Those who may be eligible are urged to book an appointment now at RedCrossBlood.org or 1-800-RED CROSS.

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; 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; USAA; 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.