Spokane Valley house catches fire during move

A home in Spokane Valley caught fire as new residents were moving in Monday.

The home at 14512 East Broadway Avenue was reported to be on fire at about 10 a.m., said Julie Happy, Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman.

A family of three adults and five children had started moving their belongings in earlier in the morning and believed the power to be off in the home, Happy said. A box was placed on the stove and eventually caught fire, according to a preliminary investigation.

No one was in the house at the time of the fire. When the new residents arrived, the fire alarm was going off, and they called 911.

Neighbor Mike Jones was working in his shop up the street when he saw the smoke and decided to take a closer look. Jones said fire trucks arrived within minutes.

Though smoke billowed from the house, flames were never visible, Jones said.

“At one point I couldn’t even see the house,” he said.

One of the adults threw the burning box outside, Happy said. No one was injured and an initial investigation did not reveal structural damage, Happy said.

Kitchen fires are the number one cause of house fires in the United States, Happy said.