13 structure fires among calls

Spokane Valley Fire Department handled 192 emergencies during the week surrounding the New Year’s holiday.

Between Dec. 26 and Monday, 13 of those were reports of structure fires, said Spokane Valley Fire spokesman Bill Clifford.

Many were related to chimneys or improper disposal of hot ashes.

“We’re finding out that people are not having their chimneys serviced when they should,” Clifford said.

Furnaces and chimneys should be professionally inspected and cleaned yearly.

“Most of those issues turn out to fairly disastrous,” he said.

The department was also called to one illegal burn barrel.

There were 12 reports of vehicle accidents during that week. Three resulted in trips to the hospital for minor injuries, Clifford said.

Fire personnel also handled six fire alarms, three service calls and three hazardous material calls.

For the year, fire inspectors say fire calls and total losses attributed to fires were down slightly in 2006, Clifford said.

Changes this year will include some new fire equipment and personnel movement between stations, as well as the recruitment and training of several new firefighters.