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Work resumes at Spokane Hatchery after wildfire evacuation

There’s always somebody at the Spokane Hatchery. Three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery specialists live on-site in houses that are walking distance from the ponds and raceways where they raise kokanee salmon and five species of trout. Under normal circumstances, at least one of the workers is always there. Every day of the week, all year long. So it felt strange for Jade Helm to shut the gate on Aug.

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Scoop News DeskWashington · Published Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 2:23 AM UTCUpdated Friday, August 14, 2026 at 2:09 AM UTC

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1 and drive away, joining the thousands of people ordered to leave their homes because of the wildfires that roared through north Spokane. “All these years working at a hatchery,” Helm said, “you never just walk away.” The hatchery near Saint George’s School was under a level three evacuation order for a little more than a week because of the Old Trails fire to the south and the Autumn Lane fire to the north.

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Dated changes to this report are shown here as they are published.

Version 2unpublished
Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 5:10 PM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 3published
Thursday, August 13, 2026 at 5:26 PM UTC
There’s always somebody at the Spokane Hatchery. Three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery specialists live on-site in houses that are walking distance from the ponds and raceways where they raise kokanee salmon and five species of trout. Under normal circumstances, at least one of the workers is always there. Every day of the week, all year long. So it felt strange for Jade Helm to shut the gate on Aug.
Version 4unpublished
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 12:19 AM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 5published
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 12:51 AM UTC
There’s always somebody at the Spokane Hatchery. Three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery specialists live on-site in houses that are walking distance from the ponds and raceways where they raise kokanee salmon and five species of trout. Under normal circumstances, at least one of the workers is always there. Every day of the week, all year long. So it felt strange for Jade Helm to shut the gate on Aug.
Version 6unpublished
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 12:55 AM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 7published
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 1:51 AM UTC
There’s always somebody at the Spokane Hatchery. Three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery specialists live on-site in houses that are walking distance from the ponds and raceways where they raise kokanee salmon and five species of trout. Under normal circumstances, at least one of the workers is always there. Every day of the week, all year long. So it felt strange for Jade Helm to shut the gate on Aug.
Version 8unpublished
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 1:52 AM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy
Version 9published
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 2:08 AM UTC
There’s always somebody at the Spokane Hatchery. Three Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery specialists live on-site in houses that are walking distance from the ponds and raceways where they raise kokanee salmon and five species of trout. Under normal circumstances, at least one of the workers is always there. Every day of the week, all year long. So it felt strange for Jade Helm to shut the gate on Aug.
Version 10unpublished
Friday, August 14, 2026 at 2:09 AM UTC
Removed by Scoop Timeline eligibility policy