Malden recovery after devastating fire

Recovery and rebuilding is coming very slowly in the Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day 2020.

Section:Gallery

Sun., Dec. 6, 2020

Kasen Adams, 6, smiles after picking a stuffed animal from a table of donations at a tent in Malden City Park, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway and families are still struggling to get basic needs met. On Wednesday, Kasen and his family came to a tent in the city park for a free lunch sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. Others had donated colorful Christmas quilts, stuffed animals and warm clothing.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Malden locals, from left, Town Council member Bob Law, Mayor Dan Harwood and Rachel Blakeley catch up in Malden City Park after a free lunch sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. A village of portable buildings serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden was destroyed by fire on Labor Day.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Malden Congregation Community Church was damaged, but not destroyed by fire on Labor Day and is shown Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway and families are still struggling to get basic needs met. One church member said the melted siding will likely be repaired in the spring.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Lori Dickinson, a town council member, Nellie Flatt and Mayor Dan Harwood look over Christmas quilts donated to the people struggling in the aftermath of the Labor Day fire in a tent in Malden City Park, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway and families are still struggling to get basic needs met. On Wednesday, local people got a free lunch sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. Others had donated colorful Christmas quilts, stuffed animals and warm clothing.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Outside Malden Congregation Community Church, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, Mary Kay Stelzer stops to talk with Gerry Bozarth from Spokane Emergency Services. The small Whitman County town destroyed on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway and families are still struggling to get basic needs met. Because more than half the structures in town were burned, it seems a miracle that the church still stands.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Outside Malden Congregation Community Church, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, Mary Kay Stelzer stops to talk with passing strangers. Stelzer serves at the church and with the local historical society. The small Whitman County town destroyed on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway and families are still struggling to get basic needs met. Because more than half the structures in town were burned, it seems a miracle that the church still stands.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Rev. Kathy Lamphere, left, greets local residents at a tent in Malden City Park and offers a free lunch sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway and families are still struggling to get basic needs met. A variety of charitable groups have helped the town by serving lunches, donating clothes and housewares, as well as cash. Lamphere pastors in Cheney and was in Malden representing the Episcopal Diocese.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
Ashley Varner, holding daughter Isabella Thornton, 2, chooses a Christmas quilt from a table of donations at a tent in Malden City Park, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year is still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway. On Wednesday, many came to the tent in the city park for a free lunch sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. Others had donated colorful Christmas quilts, stuffed animals and warm clothing.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Librarian Vanessa Place posts signs on the door of a portable that she was transforming into the new Malden City Library, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Since the Labor Day fire that destroyed many buildings in town, village of portable buildings have been moved it to serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and for other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Librarian Vanessa Place vacuums the portable building that she was transforming into the new Malden City Library, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Since the Labor Day fire that destroyed many buildings in town, a village of portable buildings have been moved it to serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and for other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Librarian Vanessa Place vacuums the portable building that she was transforming into the new Malden City Library, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Since the Labor Day fire that destroyed many buildings in town, a village of portable buildings have been moved it to serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and for other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Librarian Vanessa Place vacuums the portable building that she was transforming into the new Malden City Library, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Since the Labor Day fire that destroyed many buildings in town, a village of portable buildings have been moved it to serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and for other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden. She hopes the opening of the modest library, part of the Whiteman County system, will provide a sense of normalcy to those struggling to recover from the fire.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Librarian Vanessa Place sanitizes computer terminals in the portable building that she is transforming into the new Malden City Library, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Since the Labor Day fire that destroyed many buildings in town, a village of portable buildings has been moved it to serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden. The computer terminals are the only internet access for some local residents. She hopes the opening of the modest library, part of the Whitman County system, will provide a sense of normalcy to those struggling to recover from the fire.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review
After her homes was destroyed by fire on Labor Day, Lori Dickinson put an RV trailer on her property and insulated it against the cold, shown Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year now has many homeowners living in RVs where there once were houses. Many homeowners in the town had no, or little, insurance and are struggling to find new places to live or a way to stay on their own property.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
After her homes was destroyed by fire on Labor Day, Lori Dickinson put an RV trailer on her property and insulated it against the cold, shown Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. The small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year now has many homeowners living in RVs where there once were houses, while others are still clearing their lots or waiting for government assistance to complete the task. Many homeowners in the town had no, or little, insurance and are struggling to find new places to live.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
The new Malden City Hall is shown Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Since the Labor Day fire that destroyed many buildings in town, a village of portable buildings has been moved it to serve as city hall, the library, recovery headquarters and other purposes in the center of the small Whitman County town of Malden.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
On a private lot in the middle of the town of Malden, Washington, Michael Parsons operates a skid-steer loader to remove burned debris from a former home site, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Work is going on at sites where buildings burned, though many houses are waiting on asbestos assessments to see if the expense of specialty clean-up is warranted. Parsons and the other clean-up technicians wear respirators and protective suits to avoid breathing or contacting burned residue, which can have longterm ill effects, from the Labor Day fire that swept through the small Whitman County town and destroyed the majority of buildings. Some people still struggling to get recovery and rebuilding efforts underway.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Around the city of Malden, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, blackened lots and brown fire-killed pine trees are every where in the small Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day of this year.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
The burned out hulk of a building in Malden, Washington, shown Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Recovery and rebuilding is coming very slowly in the Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day 2020.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
The Malden Congregational Community Church, which survived the fire, is seen beyond a burned out hulk of a building in Malden, Washington, shown Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Recovery and rebuilding is coming very slowly in the Whitman County town destroyed by fire on Labor Day 2020.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
On a private lot in the middle of the town of Malden, Washington, Kaleb Jewett, left, and Michael Parson, in a skid-steer loader, work to remove burned debris from a former home site, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. Work is going on at sites where buildings burned, though many houses are waiting on asbestos assessments to see if the expense of specialty clean-up is warranted. Parsons and the other clean-up technicians wear respirators and protective suits to avoid breathing or contacting ash and other possible unhealthy contaminants, which can have longterm ill effects, from the Labor Day fire that swept through the small Whitman County town and destroyed the majority of buildings.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo