Electrical malfunction started fire that killed couple in Chattaroy fire, investigators say

An electrical malfunction started a house fire that resulted in the deaths of an elderly couple Saturday north of Chattaroy, according to Spokane County Fire District 4.

Firefighters responded early Saturday morning to the blaze on North River Estates Drive, according to a Fire District 4 news release. A neighbor phoned 911 after their dogs began barking. The neighbor looked outside and saw their neighbors’ home on fire, the district said.

Crews arrived within six minutes and found flames throughout the home, and power lines on the ground at the back of the home.

Firefighters located a man at the back of the home and a woman at the front door. The man died at the scene, and the woman was airlifted to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center where she died Saturday evening.

Investigators determined the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical malfunction.

The fire started at an exterior electrical outlet at the back of the home and spread in the wall and along the exterior of the wall into the attic space. The fire traveled through the attic space into the rest of the house.

No working smoke alarms were found in the home.