SPOKANE, Wash. — As Spokane families prepare for the school year to begin Wednesday, one local family is navigating the transition while displaced from their home due to wildfire damage.
The Ainley family’s house still stands with minimal exterior damage, but the rows of homes behind their property are gone. After being told soot coats the inside of their home, they learned it could still take weeks before they can return.
For about two weeks, 10-year-old Riker Ainley has been sleeping on a couch in his grandparents’ living room while his parents occupy a separate bedroom. Now, as he prepares to start fifth grade at Mead Learning Options—a school he attends in person a few days a week while homeschooling the rest—the family is adjusting to an entirely new routine…