Possible human remains found in home near Spokane burned by wildfire

Investigators on Wednesday found what appear to be human remains in a home near Spokane where a person reportedly refused to evacuate before the Upriver fire destroyed the residence.

As a fast-moving fire prompted evacuation alerts for an area east of Spokane on Tuesday afternoon, one resident refused to leave their home, according to the Spokane County sheriff's office, which cited call records from that afternoon. Deputies and Spokane police officers entered the home and advised anyone inside to leave immediately because a nearby house was engulfed in flames but didn't receive a reply. Soon after, the deputies and officers also had to leave because of the fire.

A family member requested a welfare check at the home Tuesday evening when they couldn't reach the resident. Deputies responded and saw the fire had destroyed the home, but couldn't investigate further because of the fire conditions, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators went to the site Wednesday and located "possible human remains." The identity and cause and manner of death haven't been publicly released.

At least 15 houses have been burned in the Upriver fire that began Tuesday. The 222 acre fire was 10% contained as of 8:20 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

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This story was originally published June 17, 2026 at 11:36 PM.