'We're moving forward': Community building opening marks new chapter for Malden five years after fire

Yahoo

5 days ago

May 29—MALDEN, Wash. — Five years after wildfire devastated this small town, residents on Thursday celebrated the opening of a new community center.
The $3.6 million facility includes a new library, food pantry with a walk-in freezer, and a community meeting room for events. Mayor Dan Harwood said the building's grand opening marked the beginning of a new future for Malden.
"We want to remember the past and honor the past, but we're moving forward," Harwood said.
Jim Jacobs, 93, was overcome with emotion over the new community building.
"It is hard to believe," he said. "I mean, the whole town was devastated. For a town of this size, it just kind of overwhelms you that we could have this after all that happened."
The home Jacobs and his late wife, Joy, built in the early 1990s was destroyed in the Babb Road fire. While he was among the first residents to have a new home built in Malden after the disaster, he still hopes to replicate what he can on his original lot.
"After Joy died, you could never make me leave Malden again," he said. "I've got half of her house rebuilt now, and soon as I get enough money, I'm going to try to restore as much as I could. I'm here to stay, and I intend to try to get as much of her legacy built up as I can."
There is much to be grateful for, Harwood said, despite the many challenges Malden has faced. No one died in the fire. Twenty-nine homes have been built out of the 67 that were destroyed. And the community has grown stronger through hardship.
"Our community church is still standing today," Harwood said. 'People who don't think there's a higher power out there, think about that. There was no time to get out of town, and yet everyone was safe. Everybody did their job, and it was truly amazing."
Chandelle Frick, director of the Pine Creek Community Restoration Long Term Recovery Organization, said she hopes the new community building will springboard Malden into increased economic development.
"This event marks an important milestone in the ongoing revitalization of our town," she said. "We are especially excited about the walk-in coolers and freezers for the food bank, the high-speed fiber access in the library, and the event space where large groups can gather."
The facility also has an outdoor amphitheater, playground and bathrooms with showers accessible from the outside. These amenities will assist visitors on the Malden Palouse-to-Cascades Trailhead, part of the Great American Rail-Trail that traverses the country, from Washington, D.C., to La Push, Washington.
The library opened in January ahead of the community center's grand opening. Librarian Vanessa Place said the library is a source of stability for children who may not remember life before the fire.
"Their house might be gone, or their neighbors, you know, might have been gone, but they still had the stability and the comfort of something they knew, and that is the library," Place said.
U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner said the residents of Malden "represent the best of America."
"When that catastrophic fire came through this community, the devastation that it caused would have made it easy just to kind of think that's the end of Malden," Baumgartner said.
"But that's not what you did. You had a lot of resolve, and you came together as a community. You put aside a lot of differences and brought out the best of each other, and today we celebrate this wonderful community center."
There is still more recovery needed.
Before the fire, the small village had 230 residents. As of 2025, that number is down to 140, according to the mayor. Three families who lost homes in the fire have been unable to rebuild and have been living in recreational vehicles the past five years.
"One of these families have three small children," Harwood said. "That's a wake-up call for us. That is something that needs to be changed, and it's up to everyone in this room to push that to happen."
Donations to the community can be made at pinecreekcommunityrestoration.org/givenow/.