The September 7, 2020 Babb Road Fire devastated to the residents of northern Whitman County, Washington.

The fast-moving wildfire started in Spokane County before spreading across the county line and raging through Malden and the neighboring town of Pine City.  The fire quickly consumed thousands of acres of Palouse wheat fields and forced nearly 200 residents to evacuate.

Eighty-five percent of the homes and buildings were burned, many down to their foundations, leaving the streets in rubble. The community was most fortunate that there was no loss of human life.

In the aftermath of the fire, community leaders came together to think about the future. How will we recover? How will we be better prepared for the next crisis?

The outcome of these conversations is the Pine Creek Community Restoration Long Term Recovery Organization (LTRO). The LTRO has been dedicated to learning about the impacts of the fire, securing resources to help individuals and families, and mapping a pathway to recovery.