Washington Gov. Jay Inslee visits Spokane County to survey damage from Gray, Oregon Road fires
Governor Inslee visited the Lakeland Village at Health Lake on Sunday to meet with residents who had evacuated from the Gray Road and Oregon Road fire areas.
SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. – Washington Governor Jay Inslee arrived in Spokane County on Sunday to meet with leaders working to extinguish the Gray Road and Oregon Road wildfires. Those fires burned about 20,000 acres and destroyed nearly 200 structures over the weekend.
The fires are still active. Governor Inslee issued an emergency declaration to pool state resources to battle the blaze. According to the governor, the state of emergency will help provide financial and living assistance to those affected by the fires.
“We want to thank the individuals of Spokane County who have stepped forward, the donations are coming, the volunteers are coming forward,” said Governor Inslee. “It’s inspiring to see the Spokane Community come together to do everything it can for everyone.”
RELATED: Gray Fire | Extend evacuation level 3, declare a state of emergency
RELATED: Oregon Road Fire | Level 3 evacuations are still underway for the 9,278-acre wildfire in Elk
His visit to Spokane County included a briefing at Lakeland Village and Spokane Falls Community College, an evacuation center for those affected by the Gray Fire.
“There’s so much to be proud of here in our state, people coming together, people coming together, we’re fighting fundamental roots. And we’ll continue to do so. so.” Governor Inslee said.
Spokane 10 County Fire Department Chief Cody Rohrbach also spoke with Inslee. According to Sheriff Rohrbach, the current weather conditions could help the fire brigade put out the fire.
“Our priorities continue to be to save lives, preserve property, ensure that our community is in a safe place, and minimize damage from this fire,” Rohrbach said.
Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels, who also spoke with Inslee, reiterated staying away from fires and areas where teams are working.
“We are using law enforcement resources from the entire state patrolling the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department, all the properties in our area to keep those areas safe. ,” Nowels said.
Teams continue to deal with the Gray Road and Oregon Road fires and survey the damage left behind.
This is an evolving story. Follow KREM News 2 for future updates on governor visits.
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