How Wildfires Are Killing America's Most Unluckiest City: Spokane, Washington

In 1889, fire destroyed 32 blocks of downtown Spokane — every bank, nearly every hotel, the entire commercial district. The city rebuilt in brick and stone, grander than before, funded by Coeur d'Alene mining wealth and architects like Kirtland Cutter. It became one of the finest downtowns in the inland Northwest. But over the next 137 years, Spokane's neighborhoods pushed outward into dry grasslands and pine forests — the wildland-urban interface where suburban homes meet fire-prone land. On August 1, 2026, almost to the exact anniversary of the Great Fire, a convicted killer named Aaron Farinacci struck a match in the grass outside the city. He had studied serial arsonists, monitored weather forecasts for weeks, and waited for the most dangerous fire conditions in Washington state history. Three wildfires burned nearly 10,000 acres, destroyed more than 800 structures, and forced 65,000 people to evacuate. Rebuilding costs are expected to exceed one billion dollars. The fire that once made Spokane's downtown permanent came back — but this time it came for the neighborhoods the downtown was never designed to protect. Sources Laura Arksey, "Great Spokane Fire (1889)," HistoryLink.org, File 7682 and File 7696, March 20, 2006 Bill Lucia, "Fires destroy hundreds of structures in Spokane" and "'Overwhelming amount of damage': Fight ongoing against Spokane fires," Washington State Standard, August 2–3, 2026 "He waited and planned for the perfect time, then set the blaze, officials say. Inside the Spokane arson case," CNN, August 10, 2026 "Court docs: Spokane arson suspect told police he set 25 fires over the past year," OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting), August 6, 2026 Jeff Masters, "Urban firestorm devastates Spokane as dense smoke envelops the Northwest," Yale Climate Connections, August 4, 2026 Mojtaba Sadegh and John Abatzoglou, "Why the Spokane wildfires became so catastrophic," The Conversation / EarthSky, August 5, 2026