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Spokane County power outage map, updates: Avista customers hardest hit as wildfire forces evacuations
Avista Corporation customers were the hardest hit. As of 9 p.m. local time, more than 30,000 customers were without power.
Thousands of Spokane County residents were left without electricity Saturday night as the fast-moving Old Trails Fire tore through parts of the region. Videos shared on social media showed homes engulfed in flames as residents rushed to evacuate.
Power outage update
Avista Corporation customers were the hardest hit. As of 9 p.m. local time, more than 30,000 customers were without power, according to the utility's outage map.
Inland Power & Light also reported widespread outages, with more than 10,000 customers without electricity as of 9 p.m.
See the map here.
Old Trails Fire update
The Old Trails Fire, first reported Saturday afternoon, had grown to approximately 2,300 acres by Saturday night.
Level 3 evacuation orders remain in effect for areas bordered by Rutter Road to the north, Strong Road to the south, the Spokane River to the west, and Division Street to the east.
According to crews at the scene, the fire has reached the area of W. Strong Road and N. Molly Road.
An evacuation shelter has been established at Spokane Falls Community College's small gymnasium. An animal shelter has also opened at the Spokane County Fairgrounds for residents evacuating with pets.
Residents describe frantic evacuations
As the fire spread rapidly, residents turned to social media to describe the chaos unfolding around them.
One local resident wrote online, “In need of prayers! Sadly our apartment is in level 2 evacuation most likely will be level 3 soon! We are heading out of town and safe! But hopefully our belongings will be too.”
Another shared, “Major fire in Spokane. On our way to grab our son. Our daughter has evaluated.”
A third resident wrote, “Mom's house in direct line of fast growing fire in Spokane. Evacuation area is expanding about every 10 or 15 minutes. She has left but looks like they will be evacuated again from where she is. Getting ugly.”
Another resident described the scene from their window: “Hot town, fire in the city... Looking out my window at the tree tops and power lines whipping about and then saw this on the S-R site: Fast-moving West Plains [fire] jumps Spokane River and spreads into northwest Spokane.”
One person also shared concern for a neighbor, saying, “The fire has since jumped the Spokane River. It was several miles from him, but is traveling in his direction. He is my neighbor, but is house sitting at his sister's house while she is on a cruise to Alaska. He has an escape route/plan in case it comes to that."
