The battle against the Spokane Complex Fires thrust courageous firefighters into a world of unprecedented conditions, demanding heart-wrenching decisions and moments that threatened their own safety.
SPOKANE, Wash. — Among the valiant team called to duty last Saturday was Lt. Marlin Thorman, responding to the sudden outbreak of the Old Trails Fire in northern Spokane. The blaze challenged even the most seasoned veterans with its ferocity, unleashing forces few could have anticipated.
Thorman recounted how the scene quickly transformed into a dense haze, with smoke so opaque it blotted out the sun. By the time he arrived, flames had already consumed homes, and fiery embers carried by the wind were sparking threats miles ahead of the advancing inferno.
“The sheer scale of the fire, its blistering speed, and the heartbreaking number of structures we lost—nothing in my 14-year career prepared me for this,” he shared with KREM, underscoring the unprecedented nature of the disaster.
With 14 years of experience, Thorman has faced many challenging fires, but this one left a lasting mark.
Also responding were Lt. Chris Rogers and firefighter Mike “Moose” Ramos, who has 35 years on the job and fought during Spokane’s historic Firestorm in 1991.
“I remember looking over at him, and he looked at me and said, ‘This is worse than firestorm,'” Rogers said.
Although they had water, Rogers said there simply weren’t enough resources for the amount of fire coming toward them.
“You just go back to your training: Keep your head, keep your wits about you, have your lookouts, have your escape routes,” Ramos explained.
Even so, the danger followed them.
Rogers said a pressurized hose burst while he was attacking the fire, striking him in the head and knocking him unconscious. He said the close call was a freak accident—just one of many scary moments in the field.
“Everyone that was on that fire has multiple moments that were probably some of the sketchier moments in their careers, no matter how long those careers were,” Rogers said.
Thorman’s crew faced their own impossible decisions.
At one point, five or six homes were burning in a row.
“We all, in our hearts, want to defend this community. We want to defend lives, and we want to defend structures,” Rogers said. “It’s in these moments where we realize how badly that is something that we want.”
After a week spent trying to protect their community, these firefighters say they’ll be here as it recovers.