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Lexar Homes · Serving Eastern Washington & North Idaho
Spokane Wildfire Recovery Resources
Practical information, trusted local resources, and guidance for our neighbors beginning the road to recovery.
The recent wildfires have deeply affected families throughout the Spokane area. For decades, Lexar Homes has been grateful to build and work in this community. This page was created to bring reliable resources together in one place and help our neighbors understand where to begin.
Resources, eligibility requirements, shelter locations, and hours may change quickly. Please contact an organization directly before traveling.
Where to Start Today
Recovery can feel overwhelming, especially in the first few days. Begin with the steps that apply to your immediate situation:
01
Make sure everyone in your household is safe.
02
Confirm current evacuation information.
03
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible.
04
Document damage only when officials say it is safe to return.
05
Find temporary housing, food, medications, pet support, and other immediate assistance.
06
Save every receipt related to displacement and recovery.
07
Call 211 when you are unsure which organization to contact.
Immediate Resources
Spokane wildfire assistance, by category
Nothing on this page requires a form or a sign-up. Choose the category that fits your situation, then open “More resources” for additional links and phone numbers.
Emergency Assistance
Find immediate help with evacuation, shelter, meals, medications, essential supplies, and other urgent needs after being displaced.
In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
Insurance
Learn how to begin a claim, document your loss, understand your coverage, work with an adjuster, and get help with insurance questions.
Insurance Consumer Hotline
Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
More resources
Temporary Housing
Find emergency shelter, free short-term lodging, and current housing resources for individuals and families displaced by the fires.
To ask about temporary Airbnb.org housing, call 211 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. Eligibility and availability may vary.
Food Resources
Find free groceries, prepared meals, water distribution, food banks, and help replacing food purchased with Basic Food benefits.
Did you lose food purchased with Basic Food benefits? Contact Washington DSHS at 877-501-2233.
Financial Assistance
Explore current emergency cash programs, public benefits, employment resources, and other financial-recovery services. Review eligibility and check current availability with each agency.
Washington DSHS
Federal and state assistance programs can change as declarations and eligibility decisions are updated. Confirm current availability directly with the administering agency before applying.
Local Relief Organizations
Connect with local organizations providing shelter, food, essential supplies, recovery coordination, case management, and long-term support. Services offered vary by organization.
The Salvation Army Spokane
More resources
- The Salvation Army Spokane
- Spokane Region Long Term Recovery GroupLong-term recovery and coordination resource
- American Red Cross Northwest Region
Mental Health Resources
Free and confidential emotional support is available for survivors, families, first responders, and anyone experiencing grief, fear, stress, or trauma.
Disaster Distress Helpline
Mental Health or Emotional Crisis
Local 24/7 Regional Crisis Line
You do not need to be in immediate danger to reach out. Support is available for disaster-related stress, grief, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion.
Animal Services
Find help with pet and livestock evacuation, temporary sheltering, lost or found animals, reunification, pet supplies, and veterinary resources.
Spokane Wildfire Pet Support Hotline
Animal shelter and livestock evacuation locations can change quickly. Please confirm a location is open before traveling.
Government Resources
Access official City, County, State, and federal information about evacuations, public services, benefits, recovery programs, and the rebuilding process.
Rebuilding After a Wildfire
What Rebuilding a Home Actually Involves
The second half of recovery is the rebuild itself, and it is unfamiliar territory for most families. Understanding the sequence early makes the decisions ahead easier to weigh, and it helps you know which conversations to start now rather than months from now.
These phases overlap. Work you do during one often shortens the next.
01
Settle the claim and inventory the loss
Your settlement sets the budget for everything that follows. A detailed contents inventory, a written record of every call, and a clear read of your dwelling and code-upgrade coverage matter more here than anywhere else in the process.
02
Clear the site and assess what remains
Debris removal is often coordinated through county or state programs. Once the site is clear, the well, septic, driveway, power service, and soil conditions all need evaluation. Some survive a fire. Some do not, and that changes the scope.
03
Choose a plan and draft it
Rebuilding what you had, adjusting the layout, or starting from a different plan entirely are all options. Drafting can usually begin before your claim closes, which is often the single easiest way to shorten the overall timeline.
04
Permit the rebuild
A rebuild is typically permitted as new construction and must meet current building and energy codes, which may differ from the code your original home was built under. Your county planning department is the authority on what applies to your parcel.
05
Close the financing gap
Insurance proceeds are usually applied first, with a construction loan covering the remainder and drawing in stages as work is completed. Lenders who handle rebuilds regularly understand this structure, and an early conversation costs nothing.
06
Build
Construction runs on a schedule of inspections and draws. Knowing what happens at each stage, and who to call when something changes, is most of what makes a long build feel manageable.
Wildfire Rebuilding Assistance
How Lexar Floor Plans to Help
We know that rebuilding involves much more than choosing a floor plan. Families may be navigating insurance, lost documents, permitting requirements, changing construction costs, site cleanup, and difficult decisions—all while recovering from a deeply personal loss.
Lexar Homes is developing a Wildfire Recovery Program intended to reduce some of the barriers families may face as they begin rebuilding.
Planned
Expedited Drafting
We plan to prioritize drafting and design work for eligible families rebuilding homes lost in the recent Spokane-area wildfires, helping projects move into planning and permitting as efficiently as possible.
In Development
Free Education and Resources
We are developing community classes, a downloadable recovery guide, and ongoing online resources to help families understand insurance, planning, permitting, and construction.
Planned
Recovery Build Credits
Families rebuilding after the wildfires are eligible for a recovery build credit on any of our homes, from the Founder’s Collection through the Designer and Signature Collections and full custom builds.*
* Credit amount varies with the design and style of home being rebuilt. Reach out and we will walk you through what applies to your situation.
Our recovery services are still being finalized. We will update this page as program details, class dates, and eligibility requirements are confirmed.
A Family We Rebuilt With
What Rebuilding Looked Like for the Schaaf Family
Last year we rebuilt for a family who lost their home to a fire. They talked with us on camera about what the process was actually like, from the first weeks through moving in.
This company is about taking care of people. I promise, as the person in this video..... they are here to do anything possible, to help people thru this process, with strength and knowledge. They were and still are.... a God send.
Free · In Development
A Step-by-Step Guide to Wildfire Recovery
Our free Wildfire Recovery Guide is being developed to help homeowners organize important information, begin an insurance claim, document losses, understand the rebuilding process, and prepare for conversations with adjusters, agencies, lenders, and builders.
Leave a name and email and we will send the guide when it is ready. Everything above is available now without a form.
Upcoming Education
Free Wildfire Recovery Class and Workshop
Lexar Homes is working with local professionals on a free class for families navigating the rebuild. One session, covering the ground most people need before they can make good decisions.
The class is open to the community. Attendees will not be required to build with Lexar Homes.
Dates and location coming soon
Topics we will cover
- Understanding your insurance claim
- What to expect during the rebuilding process
- Working with adjusters and contractors
- Permitting, site conditions, and utilities
- Construction financing after a total loss
- Open community question-and-answer
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Rebuilding After a Wildfire
Most of what follows is about the rebuild itself. The last few cover the resources on this page. If your question is not here, send it to us and we will answer it and likely add it.
How soon can we actually start rebuilding?
Sooner than most families expect. Debris removal and the insurance settlement usually set the pace, but design work does not have to wait for either. Starting drafting early means your plans are ready to submit the moment the site and the settlement allow, rather than beginning the design conversation at that point.
Which Lexar plans move through design and permitting the fastest?
Our Founder’s Collection. Those plans are pre-selected and pre-priced with a defined set of finishes, so there is very little to draft from scratch and very little to price out. Fewer decisions and fewer modifications mean the plan set reaches the permit counter faster, which for a family living in temporary housing is often the deciding factor.
Speed is not the only reason people choose them, but if getting back on your land quickly is the priority, this is where we would start the conversation.
What if we want a different plan, or want to customize it?
That is entirely possible, and it is worth understanding the tradeoff. Each step toward more customization adds design and engineering time before permitting can begin:
- Founder’s CollectionPre-selected and pre-priced. The most direct path from decision to permit application.
- Designer CollectionArchitecturally-led plans that accept a limited number of modifications. Adds a round of design work.
- Signature CollectionFull-custom craftsmanship with substantial modification. More drafting, more selections, more time.
- Full custom on your landDesigned from the ground up around your site and how you live. The longest design phase of the four.
Do we have to rebuild the same house we lost?
No. Your policy determines how proceeds are calculated, but it does not usually dictate the plan you build. Many families take the opportunity to adjust a layout that never quite worked, add single-level living, or build smaller. Others want exactly what they had. Both are reasonable, and your carrier can tell you how each affects your settlement.
Will the new home have to meet current building code?
In most cases yes. A rebuild is typically permitted as new construction and must meet the building and energy codes in effect today, which may differ from the code your original home was built under. Some policies include code-upgrade coverage for exactly this reason. It is worth asking your carrier whether yours does. Your county planning department is the authority on what applies to your parcel.
What happens to our well, septic, and utilities?
They need to be evaluated individually. Septic systems and wells sometimes survive a fire intact, sometimes need repair, and occasionally need replacement. Power service, the driveway, and soil conditions all get assessed as well. This is one of the larger unknowns in a rebuild budget, which is why site evaluation belongs early in the process rather than late.
How does financing work if insurance covers part of the rebuild?
Insurance proceeds are commonly applied first, with a construction loan covering any remaining gap and drawing in stages as work is completed. If you still carry a mortgage on the lost home, your lender is usually involved in how proceeds are released. Lenders who handle rebuilds regularly know this structure well, and an early conversation with one costs nothing even if you are months from borrowing.
What should we ask any builder before signing anything?
Ask what is included in the quoted price and what is excluded. Ask how site work and utility repairs are handled if conditions turn out worse than expected. Ask how change orders are priced, how draws are scheduled, and how many rebuilds they have completed. Ask for references from families in a similar situation.
Ask us the same questions. A builder who is uncomfortable answering them is telling you something useful.
Where do I start if I have not contacted my insurance company yet?
Request a complete copy of your policy and open a claim in writing. Keep a dated log of every call and email, and save every receipt tied to displacement. The Insurance card above links the Washington Insurance Commissioner’s step-by-step guidance and consumer hotline, which is the right first call if you are unsure what your policy covers.
We need somewhere to stay right now. What is available?
Start with the Temporary Housing card above, and call 211 if you are not sure which program fits. Most policies include additional living expense coverage for temporary housing, so ask your carrier about that as well. Some counties also allow a temporary RV or manufactured unit on your own parcel during a rebuild, subject to permit.
Do we have to build with Lexar Homes to use anything on this page?
No. The resources, the guide, and the workshops are open to anyone. Many families in the Spokane area will rebuild with another builder, and that is as it should be. We would still rather you go into the process understanding how it works.
Have Questions About Rebuilding?
You do not need to have every answer before starting the conversation. Our team can help explain common rebuilding steps and connect you with available information.
Call the Spokane office and ask for whoever is handling wildfire rebuilds, or send your question in writing and we will follow up.
- Ask a Rebuilding Question
- Register for Recovery Updates
We have been proud to build in the Spokane region for decades. Right now, our focus is on helping our neighbors find reliable information, understand their options, and move forward one step at a time.
Spokane Strong.
Information last reviewed: August 10, 2026
Programs, eligibility requirements, government declarations, shelter locations, operating hours, and available services can change quickly. Contact the organization directly before traveling or making financial decisions. Lexar Homes provides these links for general informational purposes and does not control or guarantee third-party services. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
