Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Unattended cooking fire damages Shelley Lake residence
A deck fire heavily damaged a Shelley Lake home in the 16300 block of East Ninth Lane on April 18, with two teenagers unsuccessfully trying to put the blaze out with a fire extinguisher.
The fire was called in around 3:45 p.m. by a resident on the other side of the lake, who reported seeing flames on the back deck of the home. When firefighters from the Spokane Valley Fire Department arrived, they found the fire had spread inside the home, creating flames and heavy smoke.
The fire had been discovered by two teenage residents of the home, who were unable to put it out. Crews from the Spokane Fire Department and Spokane County Fire District 8 assisted. It took the combined crews 30 minutes to put out the fire.
The cause was an unattended cooking fire on the back deck, said department spokeswoman Julie Happy. The home is uninhabitable and the Red Cross was called to help the family of four living there, Happy said.
One firefighter sustained a leg injury while battling the fire. He was taken to MultiCare Valley Hospital for treatment and was able to return to duty a week later.
Other calls from April 5-12
April 6: A caller reported smelling natural gas in an apartment building in the 11000 block of East Fourth Avenue just before 9 p.m. Crews used a gas monitor to check several apartments without finding anything. High levels of carbon monoxide were detected from the exhaust of a gas fireplace in one of the units. The gas was shut off and the apartment complex owner said the problem would be fixed.
April 7: A small fire was reported behind Polka Dot Pottery at 118 S. Pines Road shortly before 12:30 a.m. Firefighters found a person with a small warming fire. The fire was put out. A resident in the area of Robie Street and Perrine Road called around 7:30 a.m. to report smelling smoke in the area. Crews checked and found a person with a small warming fire on the hillside behind the caller’s home. The fire was put out. A brush fire was reported in the area of Spokane Bridge Road and Rocky Hill Lane just before 2 p.m. The landowner said he was burning grass and the fire got away from him and caught a power pole on fire. Firefighters worked to put water around the perimeter of the fire. The Department of Natural Resources assisted. A fire was reported in the 14000 block of East Main Avenue just after 5 p.m. A homeowner was burning cardboard and fencing material, which is illegal. The fire was put out. Neighbors called in a bonfire in the backyard of a nearby home in the 10000 block of East 14th Avenue around 8:40 p.m. The homeowner was advised he could not have a bonfire.
April 8: A backyard fire was reported in the area of Country Vista Drive and Desmet Court just before 7 p.m. The homeowner reported her 4-year-old son had accidentally set a bush on fire, which caused damaged to a vinyl fence before the homeowner could put it out with a hose. Callers reported a group of children had lit a fire near a basketball court at an apartment complex in the area of Sunderland and Farr roads at around 8:30 p.m. Firefighters saw the children quickly put out the fire and scatter when they arrived. Some children found in the area said they didn’t know anything about a fire.
April 9: Light smoke was reported coming from the Shelley Lake home that had burned the day before. It was reported just after 10 a.m. by a work crew that had arrived to board up the home. Firefighters found a small fire in the vaulted ceiling by the front door. The crew of Engine 6 witnessed a car hit a CarMax sign in the 7500 block of East Sprague Avenue at 12:30 p.m. The driver was taken to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center for treatment.
April 10: Smoke was reported coming from a backyard in the 23000 block of East Valleyway. The homeowner was burning evergreen branches in his fire pit. He was told this is illegal and put out the fire. A possible train vs. pedestrian collision was reported in the area of Trent Avenue and University Road. The train engineer reported seeing a man on a bike going toward the train, but said he lost sight of the man and wasn’t sure if the man was hit. The train stopped and firefighters searched under and around the train. Nothing was found.
April 11: A possible illegal fire was reported at 25715 E. Trent Ave. just after 12:30 p.m. Crews found the landowner conducting a large area orchard burn, which is normally legal. However, the Department of Natural Resources has put a burn ban in place. The landowner agreed to put the fire out. Another possibly illegal fire was reported at 20412 E. Watson Lane at 7 p.m. Firefighters discovered an 8-foot-wide fire burning leaves, brush, railroad ties and trash. It is never legal to burn railroad ties and trash and a pile of brush that large would require a DNR permit, which the owner did not have.
April 12: Crews responding to a call of an illegal campfire along the river in the area of Flora Road and Montgomery Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. called police when they spotted a sawed-off shotgun in the bushes. Police responded and talked to four men who were cooking potatoes over and open fire. The fire was put out.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 337 calls during the week of April 6-12, including 256 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses included three beeping carbon dioxide alarms that needed to be replaced or to have new batteries put in, 11 car crashes and one hazardous material call for a bad smell that turned out to be a dirty diaper.