Air Quality & Wildfire News — August 22, 2026

Today's news is largely about what comes after the flames: a record damage bill in Washington, a coastal community reopening its doors, and the growing insurance squeeze on homeowners in fire-prone states. There's also a new fire in Montana and some useful lessons about the air inside our homes.

Spokane fire damage expected to top $1 billion

Spokane County Assessor Tom Konis says he is certain the Spokane Complex fires caused more than $1 billion in damage, which would make them the most expensive wildfire in Washington history, the Spokesman-Review reports. The Old Trails, Autumn Lane and Fairview fires of August 1 destroyed 833 homes, and crews are still documenting how many more structures were damaged.

Konis says hard numbers are about six weeks away. Homeowners who lost homes or suffered damage will get property tax reductions, and those who already paid their 2026 taxes will receive refunds.

Big Sur reopens as the Timber Fire threat eases

Two weeks after the Timber Fire closed Highway 1 and shuttered dozens of hotels and landmarks in the middle of tourist season, Big Sur began returning to normal, the Press Democrat reports. Hotels and restaurants started reopening Thursday and Friday, PG&E crews replaced burned poles and wires after some places went 13 days without power, and evacuation orders have been lifted in three of five areas.

The fire stood at 6,671 acres and 29% containment Friday afternoon. Despite being the third-largest wildfire in California so far this year, not a single structure has burned and there have been no injuries or fatalities.

Wildfire risk keeps pushing insurance costs — and coverage — out of reach

A LendingTree study places Idaho among the top 10 states facing higher insurance costs from wildfire, the Lewiston Tribune reports. Idaho homeowners have seen rates rise 52.8% since 2020, and the state has about 448,000 buildings directly exposed to wildfire. More than 691,000 acres have burned there so far this year, with months of fire season still to go.

The human cost of that squeeze is stark in Nevada, where 79-year-old widow Eloise Del Ponte lost her longtime home to the Bug Fire after her insurance policy was canceled due to wildfire risk, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports. If you live in a fire-prone area, it's worth reviewing your policy before fire season rather than after.

New 600-acre fire burning in northwest Montana

State crews are battling the Deer Creek Fire, a 600-acre wildfire about five miles north of Happy's Inn that started on the afternoon of August 20, the Daily Inter Lake reports. The fire remained zero percent contained Friday morning as wind pushed it east through heavy slash and timber; 25 personnel, six engines and three helicopters have been deployed.

A fire weather watch is in effect from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning, with possible dry thunderstorms and erratic wind gusts. Officials are asking the public to avoid the Pleasant Valley area.

What months of indoor air monitoring taught three writers

Three CNET writers spent months monitoring indoor air quality in Reno, Bend and Los Angeles, and shared what surprised them. One useful takeaway: humidity can skew PM2.5 readings upward, because fine particles like dust and smoke absorb water from humid air and swell, so a monitor may read them as larger or more numerous.

It's a good reminder that indoor air matters just as much as what's outside — and that context helps when interpreting a spike on your monitor.

Sources

Spokane fire damages will exceed $1 billion — Spokane Spokesman-Review
Big Sur hotels, restaurants reopen as Timber Fire threat eases — Santa Rosa Press Democrat
As Idaho wildfire risk grows, homeowner's insurance costs rise — Lewiston Morning Tribune
Widow loses dream home to fire after insurance drop — Reno Gazette-Journal
600-acre wildfire sparks north of Happy's Inn — Kalispell Inter Lake
9 Lessons We Learned Monitoring Indoor Air Quality in 3 Locations — CNET

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.