SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — Wildfires burning in Medical Lake and Elk have prompted Level 3 evacuations in countless areas and destroyed dozens of structures in less than 24 hours, creating hazardous air quality.
A state of emergency has been declared in Spokane County due to the wildfires burning around the area, the county Board of Commissioners announced Saturday. The declaration will allow for state and federal assistance to come into Spokane County.
Currently, several evacuation sites and short-term drop-in air centers are now available throughout the region.
Evacuation Sites for the Gray Fire, Medical Lake, Wash.:
Evacuation Center
Spokane Falls Community College (3410 W Whistalks Wy, Spokane, WA 99224)
Evacuations
At this time, Level 3 (GO NOW!) evacuations are in place for the following areas:
- S Wolfe Rd
- W Lorene Dr
- S Robinette Dr
- East of I-90
- South of Salnave Rd
- West of S Granite Lake Rd
- North of W Baker Rd
- East of S Gray Rd
- South of W Hallett Rd
- West of S Mabel Rd/S Soda Rd/S Andrus Rd
- North of W Jensen Rd until the western end then North of W Baker Road
- All of the City of Medical Lake
- The community of Four Lakes
- The areas of Clear Lake, Silver Lake, and Granite Lake
- Community along W Aero Rd
Officials say evacuation levels have been lowered to Level 1 (Get Ready!) for the following areas:
- Gray Road on the West
- Lefevre on the East.
- Fancher on the South.
- Lefevre on the West up to California
- South End of the Elementary School to Hallett
- Hallett North to Campbell
- Campbell East to East end of Middle School
- North to Lake St.
- Everything North of Lake St going east East – turns into Medical Lake Four Lakes
- Medical Lake Four Lakes to I90
- South of I90
- East of 904
- West of Andrus
- North of Jenson
Medical Lake residents with horses and trailers can evacuate to:
Airway Heights Walmart (1221 S Hayford Rd, Spokane, WA 99224)
Airway Heights Grocery Outlet (10831 West State Hwy, Airway Heights, WA 99001)
Animals that need to be evacuated can be taken to the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center (404 N Havana St # 1, Spokane Valley, WA 99212)
Level 2 (Get Set!) evacuations are in place for the following areas:
- South of W Baker Rd
- East of S Ritchey Rd
- North of W Cameron Rd
- West of Graham Rd - Granite Lake on the East
- Tyler and Malloy Prairie on the West
- I90 on the South
- Drumheller around the current Level 3 to Baker and Cameron
At this time, there are no evacuation levels for Cheney, according to Washington DNR.
Shelter in Place orders have been issued for:
- Lakeland Village
- Eastern State Hospital
- Martin Hall
- Pine Lodge
The latest evacuation notices can be found here.
Road closures
- I-90 from Sprague to Geiger
- I-90 both directions from Tyler (MP 257) to US 2 (MP 277)
- SR 902 the entire length of the roadway
There is no ETA for reopening at this time.
Medical Lake residents with horses and trailers can evacuate to:
Airway Heights Walmart (1221 S Hayford Rd, Spokane, WA 99224)
Airway Heights Grocery Outlet (10831 West State Hwy, Airway Heights, WA 99001)
Spokane County Fair and Expo Center (404 N Havana St # 1, Spokane Valley, WA 99212)
Evacuation Sites for Oregon Rd. Fire, Elk, Wash.:
Evacuation Center
Red Cross has set up an evacuation site at Riverside High School (4120 E Deer Park Milan Rd, Chattaroy, WA). Large animals can be taken to the Newport Rodeo Grounds if needed per Pend Oreille Co Sheriff.
Evacuations
According to Spokane County Emergency Management, Level 3 (Go Now!) evacuations are in place for the following areas:
- South of Spokane/Pend Oreille County line
- East of N Elk Chattaroy Rd
- North and West of E Tallman Rd to N Blanchard Creek Rd
- South of E Laurel Rd has been upgraded from Level 2 to Level 3 evacuations
- North to Milan Elk
- South to Chattaroy
- West to Newport Hwy
- East to Elk-Chattaroy
Pend Oreille Co evacs: Level 3 (Go Now)
- Jefferson Rd, Thomson Rd
- Last mile of Spring Valley Rd
Pend Oreille Co: Level 1 (Get Ready) evacuations
- Elmers Loop
- Country Homes Roads
Indoor air center shelter options:
The Trent Resource and Assistance enters will be open 24/7 located at 4320 E. Trent Ave. in East Spokane starting Saturday. The center will remain open whenever the Air Quality Index remains 201 or above, or, labeled "very unhealthy."
Spokane Transit Authority Plaza:
Open during business hours of 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. - 11:30 p.m., and 6 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. STA grants bus fare exceptions during extreme weather to customers who are unable to afford travel to shelters. The Salvation Army is a resource for people to connect with local shelters. Call 509-280-6860 or 509-280-6894 for a ride.
Spokane Public Library locations:
Central (906 W. Main St)
Shadle Park (2111 W. Wellesley Ave.)
Liberty Park (402 S. Pittsburg St.)
Hillyard (4110 N. Cook St.)
South Hill (3324 S. Perry St.)
Indian Trail: (4909 W. Barnes Road)
Libraries will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday - Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
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