Overview
Update: August 4, 2026
The Spokane Complex fires remain at 0% containment as of Tuesday morning, having burned more than 8,000 acres combined, according to InciWeb and the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Growth has slowed considerably with milder weather: the Old Trails Fire gained just two acres in the past 24 hours and stands at 3,621 acres, while the Autumn Lane Fire, now the largest in the complex after a significant Sunday night run toward Suncrest, remains the highest priority fire in the nation for incoming resources. The count of damaged or destroyed structures has climbed past 700, and that number is expected to rise as damage assessments continue. Authorities have begun downgrading some Level 3 evacuation zones to Level 2, allowing a portion of residents to return home on alert status.
Federal emergency declaration approved
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Washington on Tuesday morning, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate federal disaster relief efforts after the state's entire congressional delegation urged expedited action. The declaration supplements earlier federal fire management assistance and Governor Bob Ferguson's requests for food, housing, and search and rescue support. About 900 firefighters from across the country are assigned to the complex, supported by air tankers and helicopters. Warmer and drier conditions may return later this week, and wildfire smoke is expected to degrade air quality across the Pacific Northwest, including the Seattle area, through Thursday.
Insurance response underway
Carriers have begun deploying catastrophe claims teams to the Spokane area. Multiweek evacuations in some neighborhoods point to meaningful additional living expense claims alongside total structure losses and smoke damage.
Cotality is monitoring the event closely and may provide updates as more data becomes available.
Update: August 3, 2026
Three fast-moving wildfires ignited in Spokane County, Washington, on the afternoon of Saturday, August 1, and within 48 hours produced one of the most destructive fire events in the state's recorded history. The Old Trails Fire in northwest Spokane, the Fairview Fire near Mead, and the Autumn Lane Fire near Suncrest, now managed together as the Spokane Complex, have damaged or destroyed a preliminary estimate of more than 600 structures, according to the Spokane Fire Department. Officials caution that the final count is expected to climb as damage assessments continue. Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide state of emergency and activated the National Guard to support the response.
Cotality data indicates that there are over 50,000 properties carrying a moderate or greater wildfire risk in the Spokane metropolitan area. Those properties have a combined Reconstruction Cost Value (RCV) of over $21 billion.
A rare fire weather emergency
The fires broke out during conditions the National Weather Service office in Spokane had flagged as a Particularly Dangerous Situation, a designation reserved for the most extreme red flag warning events. Strong winds, low humidity, and vegetation dried by weeks of persistent heat allowed the fires to spread from grass and timber into established neighborhoods within hours of ignition. By Sunday night, the three fires of the Spokane Complex had burned through more than 5,000 acres combined, with officials reporting over 7,700 acres across the broader Spokane area and no containment on the largest fires. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources deployed multiple crews as the fires burned alongside more than a dozen other active wildfires across eastern Washington.
Impacts to people and property
Roughly 60,000 residents, representing about 5,000 homes, were placed under evacuation orders across Spokane County, with evacuation shelters opened across the area. Entire residential streets in northwest Spokane burned in the Old Trails Fire, and the Autumn Lane Fire became the top operational priority on Sunday as it threatened the Suncrest community. Local fire officials described the event as the worst natural disaster the region has faced. Critical infrastructure impacts remain under assessment, and residents in evacuation zones have been asked to remain away until authorities lift orders.
What this means for insurers
The scale of structure loss puts the Spokane Complex in rare territory for Washington. The August 2023 Gray Fire and Oregon Road Fire, which also burned in Spokane County, destroyed a combined total of roughly 366 homes and ranked among the most destructive wildfires in state history. Preliminary reports indicate the Spokane Complex has already surpassed that benchmark.
"Washington has historically carried modest wildfire loss expectations relative to California, and that is exactly what makes this event so significant," said Howard Botts, chief scientist at Cotality. "Cotality data indicates that more than 50,000 properties in the Spokane metropolitan area carry a moderate or greater wildfire risk, with a combined reconstruction cost value of over $21 billion. When a wind-driven fire moves through established neighborhoods this quickly, carriers should anticipate elevated claims for total structure losses, smoke damage, and the additional living expenses that come with extended evacuations."
Cotality is monitoring the event closely and may provide updates as more data becomes available.
