USPS suspends street mail delivery in parts of Spokane amid Old Trails Fire

The U.S. Postal Service changed operations in parts of the Spokane area this week as wildfire evacuations tied to the Old Trails fire and other nearby blazes disrupted normal delivery. USPS posted Washington service alerts on August 3 and August 4 showing temporary closures at the Mead, Nine Mile Falls and Rosewood post offices, with mail and retail services shifted to alternate sites. The agency also warned in a broader alert updated August 4 that wildfires in Washington and Oregon could delay the processing, transportation and delivery of mail and packages across the Pacific Northwest. USPS said employee safety remained its top priority while it worked to restore service where conditions allowed. ### Which Spokane-area post offices were closed? USPS listed the Mead Post Office at 11616 N. Market St. as temporarily closed on August 3 because of wildfire evacuation orders. During the closure, customers were told to pick up mail and use retail services at the Colbert Post Office at 19823 N. Yale Rd., and to bring photo identification. Nine Mile Falls Post Office at 12522 N. Nine Mile Rd. was also listed as temporarily closed on August 3 because of wildfire evacuation. USPS directed customers to the Liberty Park Post Office at 1602 E. Sprague Ave. in Spokane for mail pickup and retail services. Rosewood Post Office at 6325 N. Monroe St. in Spokane was added to the Washington disruption list on August 4. (about.usps.com) USPS said customers there could use the Northpointe Post Office at 9857 N. Nevada St. while the closure remained in effect. ### What changed for people expecting home delivery? USPS said residential customers should expect service disruptions in neighborhoods affected by evacuations and fire conditions, and should check whether mail is being delivered to their neighborhood or whether their local post office is open. (about.usps.com) The agency’s national service alert page, last updated August 4 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, said wildfires in the Pacific Northwest “may delay the processing, transportation, and delivery of mail and packages” and that USPS was closely monitoring conditions in the Spokane area. KREM reported on August 5 that USPS had suspended operations at multiple Spokane-area facilities because of wildfire evacuations and was working “around the clock” to restore service where conditions allowed. The station also reported that a valid photo ID was required for customers retrieving held mail and packages at alternate locations. (about.usps.com) ### How closely were the mail changes tied to evacuation zones? Spokane Regional Emergency Communications said its evacuation lookup map is the official source for Spokane County evacuation areas and that the zones are updated by incident command and dispatch. The map tells residents to refresh every five minutes during active events and allows address-by-address checks for current evacuation status. (krem.com) The City of Spokane said on August 4 that residential curbside and commercial solid-waste collection would not occur in Level 3 evacuation zones. The city also said private water and fire-damage service providers would not be allowed into homes and properties still under Level 3 evacuation orders, showing how access restrictions extended beyond mail service. (srec911.maps.arcgis.com) ### Did any Spokane-area postal operations resume? KREM reported on August 5 that USPS said operations at the Inchelium Post Office had resumed after wildfire evacuations were lifted there. The same report said USPS planned to reopen affected post offices as soon as it was safe to do so. (my.spokanecity.org) USPS has not posted a single all-clear notice for the Spokane-area wildfire disruptions. Instead, the agency has been updating its Washington residential service disruption page location by location, with separate entries for each affected office. ### Where should residents check before heading out? USPS told residential customers to use its service disruption pages first for current information on delivery and post office operations, or to call 1-800-ASK-USPS. (krem.com) Spokane County emergency officials said residents can use the county evacuation lookup to check an address and current zone status before returning or trying to reach affected neighborhoods. (about.usps.com) USPS said full restoration in some impacted areas could take additional time while wildfire conditions continue, according to a report citing the agency’s Spokane-area operations update. For now, the next step for residents is to monitor USPS Washington service alerts and Spokane County evacuation notices for changes to closures, pickups and neighborhood access. (postaltimes.com) (about.usps.com)