How to clean your home and restore utilities safely after Spokane wildfire

An agency official with the Spokane Regional Health District walked residents through specific cleaning and utilities steps to reduce health risks after the Spokane complex fire. The official said, "Wash hard surfaces, floors, and walls using mild soapy water and a damp cloth," and warned against dry sweeping ash because of the risk of inhalation.

The official advised replacing HVAC and air-purifier filters, using a HEPA-filter vacuum if vacuuming is necessary, and avoiding soil or ash disturbance outdoors until authorities provide further guidance. For refrigeration and freezer losses, residents were told to throw away food that lost power. For plumbing, the guidance said to remove faucet aerators, run cold-water faucets one at a time through the house (bathtub or shower last) to replace stagnant water with fresh public supply, and to reinstall cleaned aerators after flushing.

On utilities, the official instructed people not to restore water or gas themselves: call Spokane 311 to have water service safely restored and call Avista Utilities at (800) 227-9187 for natural-gas service. The official emphasized leaving relighting and infrastructure repairs to professionals to avoid accidental injury or further damage.