A 70-Year-Old Spokane Woman Lost Her Entire Home in Minutes to the Upriver Fire
Gloria Reynolds is in her 70s. She is retired. And right now, she does not know where she is going to live.
When the Upriver Fire tore through her Spokane neighborhood on June 16, 2026, she was looking out her window at smoke and did not realize it was heading straight for her home.
By the time she understood what was happening, she had minutes. Not hours. Minutes.
She grabbed a few clothes, one of her cats, and the ashes of her late husband. Then she ran.
The Fire That Hit Without Warning
The Upriver Fire broke out near Camp Sekani Park around 12:30 p.m., wind-driven and moving fast. Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders went out within hours. Officers knocked on doors. Over 12,000 people were told to leave immediately.
At least 14 homes were destroyed. One person was killed.
She Almost Did Not Make It Out
Gloria saw the smoke but did not connect it to danger heading her way.
“I didn’t think much of it. I was looking out the window and saw smoke, but I didn’t realize it was coming this way,” she said.
When evacuation orders went out, she misread the severity. “My mind gets scrambled sometimes, so I thought a Level 3 was a Level 1,” she said.
Her daughter showed up and pulled her out.
“I probably wouldn’t be here if my kids didn’t come and chew me out and get me out,” Gloria said.
Minutes after leaving, her phone sent a notification. Her smoke detectors were going off inside the house she had just escaped.
What She Took. What She Lost.
She grabbed a few clothes, one cat, and the ashes of her husband.
She later found a second cat hiding in nearby bushes. A young cat she had just adopted did not make it out. The fire took that one.
According to KREM 2’s reporting on Gloria‘s story, she described the most overwhelming part as the unknown.
“It’s hard for me to have hope when I don’t know where to live,” she said. “Right now my biggest hope is to find a place to live.”
Her Backyard Neighbor Did Not Leave
Gloria’s backyard neighbor was Marilyn Haugen.
“She’s the one that said ‘I’m staying, I don’t believe it, I’m not leaving,'” Gloria recalled. “She was a nice lady, she was a sweetheart, and she just wasn’t leaving. Her husband did, but she didn’t.”
Marilyn Haugen died in the fire.
Gloria’s message is direct: “If the cops or the fire department or anyone tells you to get out, get out. No matter what you are leaving behind.”
Washington has seen this before. Just recently, two people in a burning Hillsboro home were pulled out with life-threatening injuries as firefighters raced to get inside.
If you follow stories like this, there is a WhatsApp channel that covers home incidents and community news as they happen. Worth having around.
Why This Matters
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, over 35,000 wildfires have burned more than 2.9 million acres across the United States in 2026 alone, already exceeding the 10-year average for both fires and acres burned.
Older adults face the steepest barriers when orders come. Limited mobility, cognitive stress under pressure, and no one nearby to help all compound when there are only minutes to act. Gloria had her daughter. Marilyn did not leave.
The Pacific Northwest keeps showing up in these stories. A fireworks explosion on Whidbey Island destroyed two homes and injured five people including firefighters.
Before that, 700 pounds of fireworks inside a Whidbey Island home triggered a blast that injured 3 firefighters and leveled the structure. Fire does not wait.
Key Takeaways
- Gloria Reynolds lost her home in the Upriver Fire on June 16, 2026
- She escaped with a few clothes, one cat, and her late husband’s ashes
- A second cat was found nearby; a third, recently adopted, was lost in the fire
- Her daughter got her out after she misread a Level 3 order as a Level 1
- Minutes after leaving, her smoke detectors went off inside the house
- Her backyard neighbor Marilyn Haugen refused to evacuate and was killed
- 14 homes destroyed, over 200 acres burned, over 12,000 people evacuated
Gloria carried her husband’s ashes out of a burning neighborhood. If you had two minutes to grab what mattered most, what would you take? Drop it in the comments.
Wrapping Up
The fire is largely contained. But for Gloria Reynolds, none of that changes what she woke up to. She is retired, displaced, and starting over with almost nothing.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. All details are based on publicly available reports at the time of publication.
