SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash — Three years after the Oregon Road Fire destroyed her home, Annie Patrick stands on her property surrounded by burned trees and the remnants of what was. But she won’t be rebuilding here.
The decision wasn’t made lightly. Patrick was fully insured — a detail that should have simplified her path to recovery. Instead, she said exclusion from donation programs and the county’s complicated rebuilding requirements convinced her that starting over wasn’t worth the financial and bureaucratic burden.
“I had insurance, so I got used to them saying no, we can’t help you,” Patrick said. “I thought everyone was donating for all of us, so we should count for something. Or in the future, don’t donate unless you expect it’s only going to people that are uninsured.”
Patrick points to the financial reality of rebuilding in the county. Homeowners must pay sales tax on every construction item, secure permits from the county, and face the prospect of increased property taxes after rebuilding — potentially followed by a tax discount that feels insufficient.
“Why build? Why go through the trouble of having a contractor come?” Patrick asked. “I pay sales tax on every item, I pay permits to give to the county, and then they’ll raise the taxes again and maybe give me a discount. That’s pointless.”
Her decision reflects a broader challenge facing fire survivors across the region. While some have managed to rebuild, others like Patrick have concluded that the process is simply too complicated and costly to justify.
Patrick’s experience also highlights concerns about future fire risk in the area. Standing on her property, the danger is visible: dried vegetation and burned trees create conditions ripe for another catastrophic fire.
“As you look around, you can see it’s a little match and it will burn right up and we have another firestorm,” Patrick said. “You’ve worked all this time to rebuild and because it’s all sitting there waiting to go again, it will.”
Despite individual challenges like Patrick’s, Spokane County is moving forward with expanded recovery assistance. The county was recently awarded $44 million in federal funding specifically designated to help fire victims rebuild their lives.
The county plans to approve contracts with organizations that will assist fire victims with housing-related projects within the next 45 days. According to county officials, the approach will involve paying contractors directly to build homes, with the county then submitting reimbursements to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A portion of the federal funding is also allocated for mitigation efforts — work that Patrick and other survivors said is critical to preventing future disasters in fire-prone areas.
Patrick credits nonprofit organizations with providing essential support during her recovery process, particularly in cleaning up her property after the fire. She hopes that future fire survivors won’t face the same obstacles that discouraged her from rebuilding.
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