MEDICAL LAKE, Wash. — The entire town of Medical Lake won't be found in their homes on Saturday. Level 3 evacuations were issued as a second-alarm wildfire slashed through the small, quiet town on Friday evening.
The following day, hundreds of structures are now burned to the ground. Among those structures are people's homes.
A 9,500-acre wildfire, designated as the Gray Fire, led to Level 3 (GO NOW!) evacuations for the entire city of Medical Lake and all of the surrounding areas. The fire destroyed an estimated 185 structures and tragically killed one person. As crews continue containment efforts on the fire, Medical Lake residents are now left figuring out their next steps.
Sandy Hastings and her husband took shelter at Spokane Falls Community College overnight on Friday. When she woke up on Friday, she had several questions on her mind, as well as one particular item she left behind when she was evacuated.
"I think I'm still numb. I'll think of things like my mom's quilt. I don't know why I left it there and didn't grab it," Hastings said. "My husband, he says we'll get it when we come back, thinking that we weren't going to get hit. So you started thinking about things like that; why didn’t I grab that or why didn’t I grab this? Why didn’t I grab a change of clothing?"
Hastings and her husband arrived at the shelter on Friday with a haunting image of their home. They didn't know if their RV survived the fire, until her neighbor sent photos confirming the worst.
"He said, 'It's just like you said. It's just flattened,'" Hastings said. "Your work shed, all of that is gone. I'm still in shock."
Rich and Mary Milender also evacuated on Friday night from their home of 30 years. They took off with their trailer and dog, Max, and set up at the Walmart parking lot in Airway Heights.
“When it got to the point where a helicopter is directly over your house with buckets of water, it's time to leave" Rich Milender said. "We know when to get out of dodge."
What's next for these displaced families isn't clear yet, but despite the uncertainty, Medical Lake Mayor Terri Cooper has hope in moving forward.
““I want to say to my Medical residents that I love you, my heart is with you and that it's going to be okay," she said. "Where it's going to be okay, be patient with us while we get the important things taken care of. so it's safe for you to come back."
At this time, the Red Cross is asking for monetary donations from those who want to help evacuees. That's because it's not known yet what specific needs to community has at this moment, which makes monetary donations the most effective way to help.
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