Community resource
After the fires: cleanup safety & resources
The Old Trails, Fairview, and Autumn Lane fires took hundreds of Spokane-area homes in early August 2026. Before you or anyone you love touches the debris, please read this — what's left behind is more dangerous than it looks, and the cleanup is regulated for a reason.
Why you shouldn't clear fire debris yourself
The ash of a burned home is not like ash from a campfire. Houses contain asbestos siding, insulation, and flooring; lead paint and pipes; treated lumber; electronics; batteries; and household chemicals. When they burn, the residue concentrates asbestos fibers, lead, arsenic, and heavy metals into a fine dust that goes airborne the moment it's disturbed. Breathing it can trigger asthma attacks immediately — and asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma and asbestosis years later. There is no undo for a bad day of shoveling.
That's why Washington treats burned structure debris as presumed asbestos-containing. It isn't red tape for its own sake; it's the same protection given to demolition workers, applied to your family.
If your structure burned: the required steps
Spokane Clean Air staff walk owners through this at no charge — call them at (509) 477-4727 before anyone touches the site.
- 1Open your insurance claim. If your home is uninhabitable, ask in writing for an Additional Living Expenses (Loss of Use) advance.
- 2Hire an AHERA-certified building inspector to sample the ash and debris across the lot and send it to a lab.
- 3If tests are clean: file a Notice of Intent with Spokane Clean Air (the fee is waived for fire-affected properties). The NOI number is what unlocks the County demolition permit.
- 4If asbestos is found: a Washington State certified abatement contractor must remove that material first.
- 5Cleared debris goes to an approved disposal facility — hauled covered and contained, never loose in a truck bed.
Protect yourself in the meantime
- Call your insurance company first and open the claim — coverage started the day of the fire
- Have an AHERA-certified inspector test the ash before anyone touches it
- Wear an N95 or P100 respirator (not a cloth or surgical mask), gloves, goggles, long sleeves, and long pants near any ash
- Wash skin and clothing promptly after any exposure
- Photograph everything before it's moved — your adjuster will want it
- Ask for help — 211 connects you to local recovery assistance
Please don't
- Don't sweep, shovel, rake, or sift through structural ash — even to look for keepsakes — until the site has been tested
- Don't use a shop vac or any vacuum without a HEPA filter (they blow the finest particles back into the air)
- Don't let children or pets anywhere near a burn site
- Don't transport loose, unpackaged ash or debris in a truck bed or trailer
- Don't burn leftover household chemicals or pour them down drains
- Don't sign contracts on the spot or pay large cash deposits to door-knocking cleanup crews — verify licenses first
If any of this has already happened — you swept ash, kids played nearby — don't panic. Wash up, bag the clothing, and call the Spokane Regional Health District for guidance.
Official contacts & help
Save these. Every one of them exists to help you through this for free.
Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency
Asbestos testing requirements, Notice of Intent filing, and demolition rules. Call before any debris is disturbed.
Spokane Regional Health District
Health guidance for ash exposure, plus waste and household-chemical disposal questions (ext. 3).
Spokane County Emergency Management
Current recovery updates, re-entry information, and Alert Spokane evacuation notifications.
WA Office of the Insurance Commissioner
Free help with fire claims. A grace period through Sept 30 waives late fees and blocks cancellation for nonpayment.
United Policyholders
Nonprofit roadmap for navigating a total-loss insurance claim after a wildfire.
211 — Local assistance
Shelter, food, and recovery services for displaced families. One call, every program.
Where Muvit fits in
We're a local junk removal crew, not an asbestos contractor — so we won't touch untested burn debris, and we'd urge you not to either. What we can do right now: haul smoke-damaged furniture and spoiled food out of standing homes, clear non-structural yard debris, help families consolidating households, and haul structure debris once your lot has its clearance paperwork. Same upfront, volume-based pricing as any other job — a fire doesn't change our rates.
Need the non-hazardous part handled?
Free estimates · No disaster markups · Spokane County, WA