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Photos taken by a former firefighter show a scorched landscape filled with smoke in parts of a Washi

  • The Gray Fire was first sparked on August 18 in Medical Lake, Washington, a town of 5,000 in Spokane County.
  • The fire has burned through more than 10,000 acres so far and is 68% contained as of August 25.
  • The flames have killed one person and destroyed at least 326 structures, fire officials told Insider.

On August 18, a small fire started near a small town in Eastern Washington. And then, as winds picked up across the region, the nearly 5,000 residents of Medical Lake, Washington received a Level 3 Evacuation Order.

That means: "Go now."

The Gray Fire has now killed one person and destroyed at least 326 structures, a public information officer from Washington's Northwest Incident Management Team Seven told Insider.

Flames have ripped through more than 10,000 acres of land in Medical Lake and the surrounding region in Spokane County, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Northeast Division. And with thousands of people displaced due to evacuation orders or destroyed homes, the Gray Fire devastated the community.

As the flames left the town and moved elsewhere, Colby Bepple — a former firefighter with nearby Grant County — went into Medical Lake on Sunday on his own to assist those who needed it. He documented his visit by photographing the devastation caused by the flames. 

This story was updated on August 26 to clarify that Colby Bepple is a former, not current, firefighter in Grant County, Washington.

Over the last week, the flames destroyed 326 structures, though it is not yet clear how many of them were residential homes

Damaged debris in Medical Lake, including a truck with scorch marks. Courtesy of Colby Bepple

The Gray Fire in Medical Lake is the second-largest wildfire now burning in Washington

A view of a residential road in Medical Lake with burned debris and smoke-filled air. Courtesy of Colby Bepple

The largest is the Oregon Fire, which has burned more than 11,000 acres in northern Spokane County. It is located about 40 miles away from the Medical Lake fire, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

In the initial days, warm and dry winds throughout the region fueled the fire, according to the National Weather Service

Burned debris and scorched trees in front of a lake shoreline in Medical Lake. Courtesy of Colby Bepple

Smoke from the fires also impacted air quality throughout the region, the National Weather Service reported.

The Gray Fire grew so dangerous that nearby hospitals were forced to shelter in place for four days

Trees, metal debris, and a car scorched by fire in Medical Lake. Courtesy of Colby Bepple

From August 18 to August 22, staff and patients at Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center remained under a shelter-in-place order, according to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

While some are slowly being allowed back into Medical Lake, officials are calling on residents to exercise caution as firefighters continue their work

Charred trees and vehicles in Medical Lake. Courtesy of Colby Bepple

The Washington Department of Natural Resources warned residents to be mindful of potential hazards and to be extra careful in areas recently downgraded to lower evacuation levels.

As of August 25, the Gray Fire is 68% contained, according to the Washington Department of Natural Resources.

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