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From a psychological standpoint, Spokane is in shock.
Just over a week since the three fires in the Spokane Complex ignited Aug. 1 and burned more than 900 structures, adrenaline may be the driving factor keeping Spokane residents on their feet.
But if it hasn't already, the grief will come.
"We are grieving the loss of normalcy," said psychology doctorate candidate and Spokane resident Stephanie High, who specializes in trauma and disaster relief.
As High explained it, trauma is "too much, too soon, too often," which can be subjective to each individual who has uniquely experienced the fires.
"It's not just the people who are evacuated and leaving their house," High said. "It's everybody that's under this cloud of smoke. It's everybody that's connected to this community. So we are all feeling it in different ways."
What a lot of people may be feeling now or in the coming weeks, High explained, is a drop in the adrenaline rush that has propelled them forward and an influx of the reality of the disaster.
Licensed mental health counseling associate Christine Bray, who lives in Spokane, said turning off "survival mode" may result in trauma symptoms settling in. These symptoms can manifest as hypervigilance about consuming information and persistent anxieties about past and future fires.
Bray warned against waiting for symptoms to turn up and instead recommended getting help and talking about the tragedy before letting bad feelings fester. She said this doesn't necessarily have to be talking to a mental health provider; talking to a friend can help too.
Like many other clinics or agencies in the area, Spokane Counseling Hub is offering free counseling sessions to people reeling from the fires. Mental health resources can also be found on the city of Spokane's wildfire information webpage.
Tracey Sutton, a clinical supervisor with the hub, said a common reaction to disasters like the fires is the struggle between feeling helpless while also feeling responsibility to do something.
"I really believe that these kinds of situations just have the opportunity to bring out the very best in people," Sutton said. "We're seeing that across the community with donations and just the incredible generosity, the outpouring of support, and that's on all levels for everyone, and I just think that it's pretty incredible, and it's why we all love to live here."
With arson suspect 37-year-old Aaron Farinacci confessing Thursday to purposefully setting what would become the Old Trails fire, which has burned more than 3,500 acres, High said having somewhere to place blame and anger can give people temporary relief but may not help in the long run.
Part of the trauma is the loss of trust many Spokane residents are feeling after learning of the arson, High said, but the malicious crime shouldn't prevent people from leaning on each other anyway.
"Don't let that put a wall up that you can't take down," she warned.
Self-care is also important. Things like hugging a friend, hanging out with a pet or kids, or choosing to leave work a few hours early all classify under the term, High said.
Sutton, who said she's received many phone calls and messages from friends or family thousands of miles away, advised people to take refuge in these relationships and allow others to help during the tragedy.
"They are reaching for you, and so you don't have to just say, 'Oh, we're fine. Our home is safe,'" Sutton said. "This is just devastating, so be willing to interact in those opportunities, to use the relationships as support."
Expect the unexpected, Sutton said. Nothing about the Spokane fires has been typical, so it's not easy to predict a patterned response or to easily categorize emotions, she explained.
Even someone who usually doesn't get emotional or feel comfortable seeking help may need to find ways to process the trauma, because "it is a trauma, and we can't minimize that," Sutton said.
"It's hard to stay connected, and yet that is essential," Sutton said. "The antidote to the isolation is connection."
© 2026 The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Wash.). Visit www.spokesman.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
