SPOKANE, Washington — In the aftermath of the Fairview Fire, part of the Spokane Complex Fire that swept through eastern Washington on Aug. 1, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints responded in a familiar way: by serving.
Just days after the fire tore through neighborhoods, a group of young men, their leaders and other members of the Spokane Washington Mount Spokane Stake spent an entire day on Monday, Aug. 3, helping clear debris from properties damaged by the fire. Working alongside homeowners and following firefighters’ recommendations, volunteers removed fallen trees, cleared burned vegetation and worked to establish an approximately 100-foot defensible perimeter around homes to reduce future fire risk.
For many neighbors, the sight was unexpected.
“They were amazed that a group of men and young men simply showed up the day after the disaster and worked all day,” Chelsea McKell, stake communication director and the mother of two of the young men, said. “They didn’t ask for recognition. They just came to help.”