AMERICANALMANAC (Sadie Smith) - Spokane bootmaker opens doors to wildland firefighters as fires destroy hundreds of homes
A family-owned bootmaking shop near Spokane, Washington, has become an unlikely refuge for exhausted wildland firefighters battling a complex of blazes that have destroyed more than 700 homes and forced nearly 65,000 evacuations. The Spokane Complex Fire, a cluster of 14 active wildfires burning across eastern Washington, remained at zero percent containment as crews fought […] The post Spokane bootmaker opens doors to wildland firefighters as fires destroy hundreds of homes appeared first on American Almanac .
A family-owned bootmaking shop near Spokane, Washington, has become an unlikely refuge for exhausted wildland firefighters battling a complex of blazes that have destroyed more than 700 homes and forced nearly 65,000 evacuations. The Spokane Complex Fire, a cluster of 14 active wildfires burning across eastern Washington, remained at zero percent containment as crews fought through punishing heat and terrain in early August 2026. Amid the chaos, a local bootmaker stepped up, taking in firefighters who needed rest, gear, and a place to regroup. NBC News reported that the facility opened its doors to crews who had been working around the clock with little relief. The gesture, small-scale, voluntary, and entirely private, stands in sharp…Open