Three house fires spread firefighters thin

Firefighters in Spokane, Spokane Valley and Spokane County Fire District 8 rushed to three house fires Friday evening, with two fires reported within a few minutes of each other. The most serious fire was reported at 6819 S. South Meadows Road in District 8 at 6 p.m. The homeowner, who escaped the blaze unharmed, told firefighters that it started on the patio and spread into the house and the attic, said District 8 Deputy Chief Greg Godfrey. A second alarm was sounded for the fire. “We brought in extra crews because of the heat,” said Godfrey. “The overhaul is really going to tax people with the weather and temperatures we’ve got.” The home is a total loss, Godfrey said. “It burned the roof off the house,” he said. Crews from Spokane Fire and Spokane Valley Fire assisted with the fire. In Spokane, crews were called to a house fire at 8116 N. Standard at 5:30 p.m. Five minutes later, another fire was reported at 2927 N. Smith. A neighbor called in the fire on Smith, said Spokane Fire Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. No one was home and firefighters had to force their way inside to fight the fire, he said. “The fire was extinguished in short order,” he said. About a quarter of the home was damaged. The home on Standard was heavily damaged. Initial reports were that the fire may have started on the back porch, Schaeffer said. The cause of all the fires is under investigation.