- Three fires near Spokane destroyed more than 700 residential and commercial structures, with another 1,100 structures still under assessment.
- Authorities ordered more than 60,000 evacuations as the Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires spread into populated areas with 0% containment.
- State Farm is sending claims teams to Spokane, while Washington’s largest homeowners insurers face new wildfire-related claims pressure.
Three fast-moving wildfires have destroyed more than 700 residential and commercial structures in and around Spokane, Washington, according to Incident Commander Tom Clemo.
The Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires started on Aug. 1. By the afternoon of Aug. 3, officials reported 0% containment across the fires, now grouped as the Spokane Complex Fire.
Authorities ordered more than 60,000 evacuations as flames moved into populated areas. During a media briefing, Clemo said officials were still working to determine the status of another 1,100 structures inside the fire footprint, according to BestLink.
Authorities arrested 37-year-old Aaron F. Farinacci in connection with the Old Trails Fire. AP reported that he was arrested on suspicion of arson after a tip from a resident near the fire’s origin.
No deaths or major injuries had been reported in the AP update, but 14 people were still unaccounted for. Officials also warned people not to fly drones near burned areas because drones can interfere with aerial firefighting.
The broader regional context is severe. Reuters reported more than 100 large fires burning nationwide, with over 44,700 wildfires and 5.2 mn acres burned in the US so far this year.
State Farm said insurance claims response teams were heading to Spokane as residents and business owners began assessing losses.
Spokane has more than 230,000 residents. Mayor Lisa Brown described the fires as the worst natural disaster the region has faced.
Dave Upthegrove, Washington’s commissioner of public lands, said the blazes erupted during an extraordinary fire season in the Pacific Northwest. Fires have burned more than 250,000 acres across the region.
The Spokane Complex Fire had burned a more moderate 8,026 acres by early afternoon on Aug. 3, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The damage, though, came from its rapid spread into residential areas.
Embers from the Old Trails Fire crossed the Spokane River and reached Lakeview Estates, a gated community of large single-family homes.
Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency on the day the Spokane fires began. He cited drought conditions, unusually high temperatures and high winds, which he said were worsening record-setting wildfires.
The National Weather Service also issued a red flag warning that day because of extreme fire weather risk in Eastern Washington.
The Old Trails Fire appears to be the most damaging of the three. AP reported it crossed the Spokane River and burned into neighborhoods, leaving some homes reduced to chimneys and ash.
California sent crews to support the response. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that California multiagency Team 7 was reassigned from Oregon’s Fox Fire to the Spokane Complex and assumed command Sunday morning. It also reported early fire sizes of about 3,500 acres for Old Trails, 700 acres for Fairview and 3,300 acres for Autumn Lane.
The largest homeowners multiperil insurers in Washington in 2025, based on direct premiums written, were State Farm Group with a 16.35% market share, Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos. with 14.31%, Allstate Insurance Group with 11.43%, Farmers Insurance Group with 11.25% and USAA Group with 10%.
For insurers, the Spokane losses add pressure to a homeowners market already exposed to wildfire volatility, evacuation complexity and rising rebuilding costs. For policyholders, the next phase is less abstract: claims access, temporary housing and the speed of recovery.
