SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. —
It’s been nearly two full months since the Oregon Road and Gray fires destroyed hundreds of homes in eastern Washington, which potentially leaves hundreds of homeowners still trying to figure out how to move forward.
The last 60 days could be the beginning of a long recovery process for some in Elk and Medical Lake and Spokane County said it wants to help streamline as much as it can for fire victims.
"These people have been through a lot with this tragedy," county communications director Pat Bell said. "And so we're trying to cut as much red tape as possible."
Right now, the county is supporting homeowners who lost everything in the August fires by prioritizing their building and demolition permits.
People can either apply online for a permit or visit the Spokane County Building and Planning Department in person for assistance.
"The first thing to do is to provide a site plan," Bell said. "So that needs to show the lot lines, all the structures on the parcel, what's being demolished. There's some considerations there for any sediment controls or temporary erosion, especially if they're near a body of water."
Bell said permits are necessary whether someone is planning to stay on their current lot or move elsewhere.
"A demolition permit is for cleaning the site," Bell said. "It's required but the fee has been lowered to $25. For those that are rebuilding, the demolition permit is included in the building permit. So it really depends on what path forward people are choosing. Both permits do need an asbestos clearance by the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency and it's called a Notice of Intent."
KREM2 has spoken to several homeowners working through asbestos testing and abatement. As Bell said, they are the first important actions in the overall, clean-up process.
Some homeowners have had to pay hundreds to thousands of dollars on asbestos testing, taking away money from future home expenses. In addition, people have told KREM2 they've been disgruntled with long waits for test results due to high demand.
After receiving a negative test or abating all presence of asbestos, homeowners can move to obtain building or demolition permits, depending on what they want for the future of their land.
Bell said fire-affected homeowners should keep March 15, 2024, marked on their calendars. He said new state building codes are going into effect and could come with new costs.
“It is anticipated the building the new building codes will increase costs, and also change some things about how people heat their home or what fuels they can use in their home, talking primarily about natural gas, which has been a bit of a controversy," Bell said.
The codes already were delayed from going into effect on July 1, 2023. They were expected to become effective at the end of October 2023, but are, again, being pushed back.
"We have a temporary reprieve here," Bell explained. "We have a few more months for people to get their plans together and get through their checklists and go through the process that has been proven a little bit burdensome, because of the coordination of the agencies involved."
Despite the state deadline delay, Bell said he knows homeowners are using winter as a personal deadline to figure out the future.
He said the county is processing people as quickly as it can. Right now, it's estimated a five-to-seven-day turnaround for fire victims looking for building permits. Bell said demolition permits may be processed as early as the same day of the request.
Bell said the board of county commissioners is making plans to speak directly to the governor and legislature and advocate for more funding to support fire-affected homeowners’ next steps.
Earlier this month, Governor Jay Inslee called on President Joe Biden to make more financial assistance available for people affected by the Oregon Road and Gray fires and allow government agencies to help with debris clean-up.
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