MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — As homeowners in Medical Lake and the surrounding areas of Spokane County work to rebuild their lives from last summer's Gray Fire, dozens of them are also working to hold Inland Power and Light responsible.
A trial is now set for September 8, 2025.
Several lawsuits have consolidated into one action against the power company; attorneys say a DNR investigation confirmed what they already believed: a malfunctioning light owned by Inland Power sparked the August 18 fire.
Just this month, IPL responded to the allegations in court documents, denying it was negligent or the cause of the fire.
Instead, IPL says landowners were at least partially negligent and may have contributed to the fire's spread.
Inland Power’s attorneys write landowners have a duty to use defensive measures and protections like creating defensible space. They say failure to do so may be contributory negligence and may be the cause of alleged damages.
The company says the fire was an unavoidable accident or act of God/nature and says this means its not responsible for the damages.
The next hearing in the case is a pretrial conference set for August 29.
The Long Term Recovery Group has been providing aid for those impacted by the tragic fires in Spokane County. You can learn more about their efforts here.