Residents displaced by Spokane Valley mobile home park fire

Two mobile homes were destroyed and another two damaged in a fire early Thursday at Appleway Park Estates, at 205 S. Park Road in Spokane Valley. No one was injured. Resident Randy Rinderneck, 53, said he woke up around 5 a.m. and saw flames through the blinds of his mobile home. He started yelling for his roommate, John Eimers, 54, to get up. When they opened the back door of their trailer home, they saw the vacant trailer next door was on fire, the men said. “I opened up the back door and I was like ‘Oh shit,’ ” Eimers said.

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They started to leave the home when their 200-pound Newfoundland, Bear, dashed for the back bedroom. They managed to pull Bear out and the dog fled into the nearby woods and hasn’t returned. As they exited their home they tried to move Rinderneck’s car, however just as they went to open the door the power lines above their heads exploded and fell. They both managed to get out of the trailer but saved nothing more than a wallet and their car keys. “I can replace the stuff, whatever,” Eimers said. “But you can’t replace the dog.” Rinderneck and Eimers are long time friends. Rinderneck said they were contemplating getting renters insurance just a week ago, however decided against it for the time being. “We just paid rent on a place we can’t live,” Eimers said. Both men had guns and ammunition in the trailer. They said as the fire burned, rounds started exploding. Red Cross was assisting displaced residents. They placed Eimers in a hotel for the next few days. Rinderneck is staying with friends. Ken Capaul, a battalion chief with Spokane Valley Fire Department, said two trailers were destroyed and two others were damaged. Two of the affected trailers were vacant. Fire officials were worried the fire would jump to the nearby woods but they managed to contain it. The lack of wind helped. Avista Utilities also was on scene to repair a melted natural gas line, Capaul said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.