On Monday, Sept. 7, local firefighters were already battling two wildfires threatening homes in Colfax when, around noon, they got a call that another fire might be headed toward Malden, around 30 miles north of Colfax in Whitman County. By the time they arrived in Malden, the fire was already there. Hours later, Malden and nearby Pine City were destroyed. In total, 121 homes, eight commercial properties and 94 other structures were lost in one afternoon. The Inlander visited Malden in the days following the fire to see the damage and speak to the people affected.
