Fire Guts Downtown Engraving Shop Owner Hospitalized With Burns; City Block Closed For 3 Hours

A Spokane engraver’s saw sparked a downtown building fire Wednesday afternoon that sent him to the hospital and closed a city block for nearly three hours.

Ron Green, owner of Parent Engraving Co., suffered third-degree burns and was taken to Deaconess Medical Center, where he was in satisfactory condition late Wednesday.

“I heard a really loud explosion,” said James LaVigne, an artist whose studio is next door to the engraving shop. “Then Ron pounded on my door. He said you’d better get out.”

The skin on Green’s hands was peeling off and his face was burned, LaVigne said.

Firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the top floor of the building when they arrived at 819-1/2 West Riverside about 3:40 p.m.

Riverside was closed off from Post to Lincoln for nearly three hours as firefighters doused the blaze.

The building - built in 1892 - houses a sandwich shop and pawn shop on the street level as well as the engraver and artist’s studio on the second floor.

Hal Williams, a Spokane Fire Department battalion chief, said Green was cutting small magnesium plates when his saw sparked and ignited the fire.

About two months ago, the fire department responded to a small magnesium fire at the building, Williams said.

After Green was taken to the hospital, LaVigne watched the smoking building nervously.

“If it goes, I’m wiped out,” he said.

Later, LaVigne was relieved to learn his studio sustained smoke damage, but wasn’t destroyed. Green was less fortunate. His business was destroyed. The other shops sustained water and electrical damage.

Rog Repp, who owns RE Loans on the street level, said he knew his business would sustain some damage.

But he was relieved to learn that Green wasn’t more seriously injured by the flames.

“The main thing is that Ron’s OK,” he said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo