Spokane Wildfires: Red Cross Supporting Evacuees as Fires Force Thousands from Their Homes; Help Continues Across Oregon, Washington Where Fires Have Been Burning for Weeks

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

Red Crosser in a disaster vest sets up cots in a shelter.

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Three wildfires hit the Spokane, Washington area over the weekend, forcing tens of thousands from their homes. Here Red Crossers prepare to open the shelter at the Spokane Convention Center. Red Cross photo by Kristine Goodwillie

Heavy smoke from Washington’s wildfires is visible behind the Spokane Falls Community College.

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Heavy smoke is evident behind Spokane Falls Community College after three wildfires broke out over the weekend in and around Spokane, Washington. Red Cross photo by Leslie Czernik

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.

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Heavy smoke fills the sky around Spokane.

Blackened vegetation scorched by a wildfire

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The Fairview Fire burned through this area, leaving blackened vegetation behind.

August 04, 2026

Our thoughts are with everyone in Spokane County, Washington where wildfires have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate.

The American Red Cross and partners are working around the clock to help those affected by the devastating wildfires that continue to burn in and around Spokane, Washington, where as many as 65,000 people have had to evacuate and more than 700 structures have been destroyed.

The fires have consumed more than 8,000 acres since they started over the weekend and are 0% contained. Red Cross responders are making sure no one faces this heartbreaking time alone. They are coordinating closely with our partners to provide food, shelter, comfort, emotional support and other critical services. When it is safe to do so, Red Cross teams will help with damage assessment. As the full scale of the damage becomes clearer, we are preparing to expand relief efforts as needed.

There are currently three shelters open and hundreds of people have stopped by or stayed overnight. The people staying in the shelters represent only a portion of the people displaced by the fires, with others staying in hotels, the homes of relatives and friends, or even in their vehicles. The Red Cross will make every effort to reach those affected.

Fires are also burning in Oregon and other areas of Washington, some going back to mid-July. As the Red Cross supports the people impacted by the Spokane area fires, Red Cross volunteers are also helping across the two states where wildfires continue to burn.

Oregon and Washington have been hit by their worst fire season in more than 30 years, with flames burning more than 2.1 million acres as of July 30. In Oregon, fires have destroyed 1.8 million acres. More than 344,500 acres have been lost across Washington from the fires currently burning there.

Thousands of families have been forced to evacuate. There are shelters open in both states where Red Cross volunteers are providing meals and snacks, relief items and health and mental health services.

Over the past several months, more than 670 Red Cross disaster responders have been supporting people impacted by the wildfires in the west. They have served more than 5,200 meals and 9,500 snacks, opened more than 40 shelters and provided more than 2,280 overnight stays, and distributed more than 2,400 relief items.

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.

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.

YOU CAN HELP people affected by disasters like fires, floods and countless other crises by making a donation to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Donate by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999. Your gift 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. Put on a red vest and join us. Learn more by visiting 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; 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.