GoFundMe establishes wildfire donation hub
In this photo provided by WSDOT East (Washington State of Transportation), smoke from wildfires fills the sky at Salnave/SR 902 interchange in Spokane County, Wash., on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2023. (AP File)
A centralized hub has been established at GoFundMe for anyone who would like to help people affected by wildfires in Eastern Washington, according to an announcement from the fundraising site. The hub will direct people to organizations that GoFundMe has verified as legitimate, to keep scam artists from preying on potential donors.
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by the wildfires burning throughout Eastern Washington,” GoFundMe Communications Manager and Spokesperson Jeff Platt wrote in the announcement. “At GoFundMe, being a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. To help keep the platform safe, donations are processed by our payment partners, held, and then released only to the person named as the recipient of the funds (the beneficiary). Before funds are transferred to the beneficiary, their personal information must be verified. If any questions arise, our processors will hold the funds until the recipient is verified.”
The hub can be found at https://bit.ly/3R71SIH.
The Gray fire, which started Friday about 17 miles west of Spokane, was holding steady at slightly more than 10,000 acres by Tuesday and remained at about that same acreage Wednesday afternoon according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The fire was 48% contained and costs were estimated at $3 million. Interstate 90 was reopened Monday and the evacuation level in the area had been reduced to a Level One evacuation notice as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Oregon Road Fire near Elk, Wash. also started Friday. This wildfire as of Wednesday had consumed over 11,000 acres north of Spokane and was zero percent contained. More than 80 structures are estimated to have been destroyed by this fire.