MISSOULA — A Missoula man with a business and house in Spokane says employees and neighbors lost their homes in what is being called the worst wildfire in Spokane's history.
Brian Toone, owner of Jewelry Design Center, was away from Spokane when his phone began flooding with images and videos from people near the fires.
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"This was everybody, my entire staff, I was getting notifications from," he said. "I was getting it from family, I was getting it from friends, customers, and it started to scare me to a point, I'm like, 'What's happening?'"
Evacuation orders affected his daughter and her husband, who were living in his home in Spokane.
"My oldest daughter is living there and she's like, 'Dad, what should I take?'" Toone said.
He added the impact extended well beyond his own family.
"I had employees that have lost their house, neighbors lost completely their entire neighborhoods that it just flattened, like unrecognizable," Toone said.
Toone's family relocated safely but evacuation orders remain in place with no clear timeline for when they will be lifted. His home survived the fire.
"From what I saw, with the charcoal right up to it, I don't know how it survived, but I'm thankful that it did," Toone said.
One of his Jewelry Design Center locations, within three miles of the nearest fire, also remained standing.
Crews from around the country are battling the fires.
"The response has really been amazing for what a catastrophe it is," Toone said.
More than 1,500 firefighters are in Spokane. The Montana National Guard is expected to arrive Aug. 11.
The fires have burned over 10,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes.
Investigators say Aaron Farinacci, a Spokane resident, confessed to lighting several fires.
A judge recently increased his bail to $2 million.
But now, residents are looking for ways to move forward, including Toone, who says his business is trying to help those with damaged jewelry.
"Anybody that has burned or damaged jewelry through the fires, we're offering to take care of that for them at no charge just so that we can try to bring it back to life," he said.
Toone said the experience has reminded him of what matters most and he hopes to see Spokane recover from the damage.
He told MTN it's these types of disasters that brings communities together.
