Through the Smoke: Photos of the Spokane Wildfires
On August 1, 2026, several large wildfires broke out in Spokane County due to extreme heat, drought, and high winds. The Old Trails Fire, Fairview Fire, and Autumn Lane Fire quickly grew into massive columns of smoke that covered much of the area. This caused a mass evacuation of over 10,000 residents. From my perspective in Spokane, it was hard to grasp the magnitude of the disaster. The smoke blocked out the sun and obscured the entire skyline. I could see aircraft flying overhead through the hazy air. Firefighters were battling the flames and trying to save homes and neighborhoods while families stood by watching, waiting, and attempting to make sense of how quickly one typical summer afternoon had turned into such chaos. As a photographer living in Spokane, I knew I had to capture the events unfolding before my eyes.
However, I also realized that these photos were more than just images of burning forests; they represented the families who left their homes, the first responders putting their lives at risk, and the community suffering from a tremendous amount of loss. These photographs serve as a visual history of August 1st and the days that followed – the smoke, the response, the destruction and the spirit of Spokane. In total, the three fires burned over 10,000 acres, damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and structures and displaced over 60,000 residents.
Although there were many losses and displacements, authorities reported no serious injuries or deaths as residents started returning to their homes.
The First Signs of Fire
What began as smoke on the horizon quickly grew into something far more threatening. Strong winds pushed the fires across dry grass, timber and neighborhoods, creating conditions that changed by the minute. The smoke plume became visible across the city, eventually covering Spokane and the surrounding region in a heavy, unnatural light. Familiar roads, landmarks and neighborhoods suddenly looked completely different.
Firefighters on the Front Lines
Throughout the response, firefighters, pilots, law enforcement officers, utility crews and emergency personnel worked under extraordinarily difficult conditions. Their effort became one of the defining stories of the Spokane wildfires.
Fighting the Fire From the Air
As the Spokane wildfires spread, air tankers became a critical part of the firefighting response. I photographed these aircraft flying through thick smoke and making retardant drops over the fire lines to help slow the flames and support crews working on the ground.
Seeing the air attack operation up close was incredible. The aircraft flew low, fast and with remarkable precision in difficult conditions. Each pass offered a dramatic view of the scale and coordination required to fight a fast-moving wildfire.
These photographs document the pilots, aircraft and ground crews working together to protect Spokane’s homes, neighborhoods and surrounding landscape.
An Unimaginable Loss
As the smoke cleared, the human cost became visible. Entire blocks had been damaged or destroyed. For hundreds of Spokane families, the places represented in these photographs were not simply buildings—they were homes, memories and lives built over many years.
Restoring Power and Natural Gas Service
In the days following the Spokane wildfires, I also had the opportunity to document Avista crews working throughout the affected neighborhoods. While firefighters continued managing the immediate threat, utility crews began the long process of restoring critical services and making damaged areas safe.
The work included replacing burned power poles, repairing electrical infrastructure, capping damaged natural gas lines and eventually returning to relight gas service as residents were allowed back into their homes.
Much of this work happened quietly amid the devastation, but it was an essential part of Spokane’s recovery. Every replaced pole, secured gas line and restored connection represented another step toward bringing people home and helping neighborhoods begin moving forward.
Wildfire photography can create striking images, but beauty is not the point of this collection. These photographs document a painful moment in Spokane’s history and honor the people who endured it, the first responders who confronted it and the community that came together afterward.
Some photographs preserve celebrations. Others preserve moments we wish had never happened. Both matter.
This is what Spokane looked like during the wildfires of August 1, 2026.
