Tribes hit hard by wildfires face health effects, cultural losses

Neighbors across the Colville Tribes communities in Washington state knew Matilda Bob’s log home as the “rainbow house,” for its brightly painted exterior. Now it’s gone. Sparked by a lightning strike in mid-July, the Kaiser Canyon Fire destroyed Bob’s home and 42 other houses on the Colville Reservation, along with 100 outbuildings such as sheds [

By: Nada Hassanein

Outlets: Stateline

Published: September 18, 2026

Words: 1,438

Last Updated: 4 hours, 13 minutes ago

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Neighbors across the Colville Tribes communities in Washington state knew Matilda Bob’s log home as the “rainbow house,” for its brightly painted exterior.

Now it’s gone.

Sparked by a lightning strike in mid-July, the Kaiser Canyon Fire destroyed Bob’s home and 42 other houses on the Colville Reservation, along with 100 outbuildings such as sheds and barns, tribal leaders said.

“I couldn’t believe that it had happened,” said Bob. “It went so fast.”

Tribal leaders …

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