😷 Keep an eye on the air quality

Arsonist Suspect Arrested for Old Trails Spokane Fire

On a tip from someone reporting a suspicious man near the start of the fire, Spokane authorities arrested a 37-year-old man around 5 p.m. Monday for investigation of first-degree arson. A judge set bail at $1 million. Authorities believe he could be responsible for the Old Trails Fire, which is one of three fires burning in and around the city since Saturday. The Old Trails fire started on Saturday and within hours it had grown massively and jumped the Spokane River. In total, the three fires have burned about 16 square miles, destroyed hundreds of structures and led to evacuation orders for 60,000 people. [Seattle Times]

• Trump approves FEMA resources for Spokane: After Governor Ferguson declared a state of emergency and requested federal funds on Monday, President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Washington state on Tuesday. This unlocks funding and additional people power to help local governments with costs for evacuating and providing emergency shelters for people who are displaced by the wildfires. It also provides assistance for emergency food and water, search and rescue operations and more.The declaration covers Chelan, Ferry, Okanogan, Spokane, Stevens and Yakima counties, as well as the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the Spokane Tribe of Indians. [WA State Governor’s Office]
• Now is not the time to fly your drones: Firefighters in Spokane have had to ground aircrafts multiple times because civilian drones are invading the restricted airspace. On Sunday, there were 26 reported drone incursions into the area of the fires and four drones were “directly in the path of firefighting apparatus.” Flights had to be grounded again on Monday for the same reason. Airspace above the fires is protected up to 5,000 feet by a temporary flight restriction zone to ensure aircrafts can drop water and retardant on wildfires. There are 35 aircrafts tending to Washington wildfires as of Monday, but they lose time and fuel every time they have to be grounded. [Seattle Times]
• Check the air quality before going outside: The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert from Monday at noon to Wednesday at 5 p.m. for King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston counties as wildfire smoke blew into the Puget Sound region. King County Public Health says to check the air quality index (AQI) and as conditions move into the unhealthy range to stay indoors as much as possible, limit outdoor physical activity and keep indoor air clean by running a filter. You can also wear N95 masks outdoors to reduce smoke inhalation. [National Weather Service, King County Public Health]

🎥 Big events organizers call for more surveillance: Eleven organizations have signed an open letter asking Mayor Katie Wilson to turn on the Real Time Crime Center cameras around the Stadium District and expand the police CCTV network. The public event operators named in the letter include Seafair, Climate Pledge Arena, Capitol Hill Block Party, Seattle Storm, Downtown Seattle Association, Space Needle, and Chihuly Garden and Glass. [Seattle Times]

☑️ Primary ballot results begin rolling in: Voting closed at 8 p.m. last night. King County Elections will be updating results at 4 p.m. each weekday until certification on August 18. We’ll have an update on results in tomorrow’s newsletter. In the meantime, track your ballots online at VoteWA.gov, or text “VOTE” to 868392. [Washington State Standard]

🎒Seattle Public Schools still bargaining contract: The Seattle Education Association (SEA) and Seattle Public Schools (SPS) are in on-going negotiations for a new contract between the district and its educators. For more than a decade, nearly every negotiation between SEA and SPS has led to a strike authorization vote, with two actual strikes taking place. It’s too early to tell whether another strike will happen in 2026, but 👀. [The Bulletin]