Spokane Valley house fire displaces family of 4, injures firefighter

A house fire in Spokane Valley displaced a family of four and injured a firefighter Wednesday afternoon.

Spokane Valley firefighters responded to the 16300 block of East 9th Lane near the south side of Shelley Lake and encountered heavy fire coming from the rear of the home, according to a news release.

The fire had started on the home’s back deck and two teenage residents attempted to put it out with a fire extinguisher, according to a news release.

Crews searched the house and used chainsaws to ventilate the roof, according to a news release. The fire was knocked down within 30 minutes, but firefighters remained on scene extinguishing hotspots and examining the structure of the home for several hours.

No residents or animals were injured by the fire but a firefighter sustained a leg injury that was examined at Valley Hospital, according to a news release.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The home was heavily damaged by the fire and determined uninhabitable, a news release said. The American Red Cross was contacted for assistance housing the family.