Spokane fires continue to destroy buildings and displace tens of thousands

NPR | By Kirk Siegler,

Ailsa Chang

Published August 4, 2026 at 4:16 PM EDT

Since last weekend, the wildfires near Spokane, Wash., have displaced tens of thousands of people and destroyed hundreds of buildings in the state's second-largest city.

Kirk Siegler

As a correspondent on NPR's national desk, Kirk Siegler covers rural life, culture and politics from his base in Boise, Idaho.

See stories by Kirk Siegler

Ailsa Chang

Ailsa Chang is an award-winning journalist and a host of NPR’s newsmagazine All Things Considered, as well as NPR’s daily news podcast Consider This.

See stories by Ailsa Chang

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