As will be remembered in the Spokane history books, on Sat. Aug. 1, around noon, a fire broke out in the West Plains between Airway Heights and Riverside State Park. The fire, called the Old Trails Fire, quickly spread as wind gusts up to 45 mph and sustained winds of 10-20 mph ushered the flames throughout northwest Spokane.
Two hours after the Old Trails Fire began, another fire, the Fairview Fire, began in Mead. By 2:30 pm on Saturday, there were two fires burning within Spokane County and fire weather conditions were set to continue until 8 pm that night, according to the National Weather Service.
The story of the fire will never be forgotten by those who lived through it, like Micaela Jaime and her family, who reside in Spokane’s Five Mile neighborhood and were at Long Lake celebrating her daughter’s 12th birthday around the time the Old Trails Fire started…