Avista gas service restoration and vegetation management underway in neighborhoods impacted by wildfires

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Avista 24/7 Media Access (509) 495-4174

Crews are safely restoring natural gas services and conducting vegetation management as access has become available.

SPOKANE, Wash., August 10, 2026, 2 PM- With the additional reduction of evacuation zones Sunday, Avista crews are making steady progress in restoring natural gas for customers impacted by wildfires in the Spokane area.

Over 2,500 customers have had their natural gas service safely restored. At the peak of the devastation caused by the Spokane Complex fires, over 5,500 customers lost natural gas services.

Over the course of the last week, Avista crews completed safety inspections on all the natural gas lines and have prepared the lines for restoration.

Avista crews are currently performing relights between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. This effort requires flexibility, teamwork and a commitment to safely serving customers under challenging conditions.

"Our servicemen are experiencing some of the most challenging conditions of their careers. They're entering neighborhoods where families have lost homes, seeing the devastation these fires have left behind, and having difficult conversations with customers who have been displaced and are anxious to get back to their lives," said Jason Reyes, Avista gas foreman lead. "At the same time, they're seeing communities come together in remarkable ways. Neighbors are helping neighbors, customers are stopping to thank crews, and people are showing incredible resilience. Despite the challenges, our teams remain focused on restoring service safely and supporting the communities they call home."

The relight process is time-intensive and follows these steps:
- all field personnel conducting relights will have clear identification
- a service person will knock on your door
- an adult must be present for entry
- customers are asked not to leave doors to homes unlocked

If the resident is not home, Avista will leave a tag on the door, inviting the customer to call Avista to coordinate a relight. Customers will not need to call Avista for a relight unless they receive a door tag on their door.

Once relit, crews will check the appliances in the residence. In rare situations, Avista may find appliance repairs that are needed before proceeding with a relight. In these circumstances, customers may need to work with a licensed dealer to complete the repair, in which Avista can return to complete a safety check. There is no cost to customers for relights or gas restoration activity.

As a safety reminder, customers should not attempt to restore or relight natural gas service themselves. Avista reminds customers to never use an outdoor grill or other items not intended for indoor use for heating or cooking indoors, as the fumes are toxic.

Vegetation management

Fire-damaged trees can become unstable over time, even when they appear healthy. Avista is removing hazards near utility infrastructure to help protect residents, first responders, contractors and utility crews.

Avista and its vegetation management contractors are making progress removing fire-damaged trees and other hazards near utility infrastructure in the affected areas.

Crews will work from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day, with traffic control in place, and are coordinating with the City of Spokane and the Washington State Department of Transportation on work along state Route 291. Foresters are assessing conditions in Fairview, Old Trails and Autumn Lane, while Avista works with property owners to secure access and coordinate debris disposal. Additional crews are arriving to help increase the pace of this restoration work.

About Avista Utilities
Avista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 429,000 customers and natural gas to 383,000 customers in a service territory that covers 34,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million. Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp. (NYSE: AVA). For more information, please visit myavista.com. Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation.

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