Fire burns home in North Spokane

A house that neighbors say is occupied by squatters caught fire Monday night. Firefighters quickly knocked down flames as seven engines converged on the home on the 100 block of East Providence Avenue. Initial reports indicated no one was at the house when the fire started. Spokane Fire Battallion Chief Joel Fielder said the living room and a back bedroom were damaged. There was little furniture in the house. Fielder noted that many empty whiskey and beer bottles were scattered about the floor. Many of the windows in the house were broken out and the back door was open. “Some people have been squatting there for a year and half,” said neighbor Dale Fattu. “It’s been a problem house.”