‘A lot of terror’: KXLY anchor recounts Spokane fire erupting yards from where he stood as he helped families evacuate

KXLY weather anchor Mark Peterson is among the 60,000 residents who evacuated as three wildfires exploded in Spokane.

Peterson told “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio he witnessed several homes in his neighborhood burn down.

“There was a lot of terror because it’s loud, it’s hot, and you see that fire overtaking homes,” he said. “And these huge pine trees that go up and almost explode as they get that intense heat.”

Peterson said he had just come home from hosting a barbecue cook-off when he noticed smoke in the distance, which wasn’t unusual for the area. But within an hour, the fire was encroaching on his neighborhood.

“My wife came and said, ‘We got to go see what’s going on. There’s a line of cars out there,'” Peterson explained. “We went out there, and all of the streets were filled with cars as they tried to evacuate. Little did we know that just below our hill, a mile away, that fire had moved into that area, and now had moved up the hill.

“As we were watching, as I was videoing the traffic to send that back to my station, then the fire erupted about, I’d say 200 to 300 yards away from us,” he continued. “You could feel the heat, and you could see the fire expand and move within seconds, and engulf three homes and all the pine trees with wind gusts in excess of 40 miles an hour.”

Peterson said he initially felt safe from a block and a half away, but then saw the fire crest the hilltop. He and his wife turned their attention to helping panicked families evacuate.

“There were a couple of families trying to evacuate that were rightly so losing their minds,” he said. “We were a block and a half away. I felt that we were, for now, safe, so we tried to calm some people, tried to help them out a little bit, telling them, ‘Stop taking that stuff, take what you need.’ There was a teenager with three cans of hairspray. She was balancing it. We’re going, ‘No, that’s not what you need now. You need clothes. You need to go.'”

Smoke billows from a fire in Spokane. (Photo courtesy of Mark Peterson, KXLY)

Spokane families forced to choose what to save in five minutes

Thankfully, Peterson’s home was fine. He said fire crews stopped the flames at the road before it reached their neighborhood. However, other families weren’t so lucky.

“We were blessed, lucky. We’re grateful,” he said. “The wind shifted, but all the people to the south of us and down into Indian Trail, the devastation is … I mean, you look at it, and you’re dumbfounded that a couple days ago, they were having barbecues in the backyard and enjoying their time and going to and from work. Now they were forced with, ‘Pick whatever you need. Pick whatever you want.’ Do it in the next five minutes and get out. And it was horrific to see them trying to make those choices.”

Peterson said he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and his passport, while his wife was more pragmatic.

“We figured that our home was going to be OK,” he added. “We really had faith in that. So she packed a couple of days of clothes. I threw in — in the end, because we stayed on longer — I mean, we were not rushed, not crazy, but yes, the first thing I grabbed was what I mentioned. But a couple of pairs of pants, underwear, and my dress clothes because I knew I was going to be on TV this morning.”

Private drones impede firefighting efforts

Peterson said the good news is that everyone was able to evacuate safely, but that 26 privately owned drones were getting in the way of firefighting from the air.

“They’re imploring everyone: ‘Keep your drones out of the air. Please let us do our job. Let us get you home as fast as possible,'” he said.

Where to donate in support of Spokane

Those wanting to support residents affected by the wildfires can donate on the Red Cross’ website, call (800) 733-2767, or text REDCROSS to 90999.

The Red Cross is also taking volunteers. For more information, go here.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.