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Firefighters respond to fire near closed Shopko on South Hill

Spokane Fire Department Aerial Truck 11 hits hot spots on a fire Friday near the old Shopko store on South Regal Street in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
Spokane Fire Department Aerial Truck 11 hits hot spots on a fire Friday near the old Shopko store on South Regal Street in Spokane. (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)Buy a print of this photo
By Riley Haun rileyh@spokesman.com(509) 459-5445

A wildfire moving rapidly through a field and on the verge of causing major damage to a South Hill apartment was halted Friday afternoon by firefighters – and possibly an exploding hose.

Crews were called to a field just south of the former Shopko, 4515 S. Regal St., about 1:30 p.m.

Firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 8 arrived on scene first to the east of the blaze, but they couldn’t gain quick access to the fire because their path – along a closed portion of the rerouted Palouse Highway – was blocked by boulders, said Fire Capt. Jim Schaffer, of Spokane Fire Department’s Station No. 11.

Spokane firefighters accessed the fire first from the west.

But the wind turned quickly.

Flames torch a tall pine as a wildfire near the South Hill Target gets into trees, Friday July 31, 2020. A new insurance program from Wildfire Defense Systems and State Farm will protect policy owners by allowing defensive teams into a fire area and defend against loss of property. (Christopher Anderson For The Spokesman-Review)
Flames torch a tall pine as a wildfire near the South Hill Target gets into trees, Friday July 31, 2020. A new insurance program from Wildfire Defense Systems and State Farm will protect policy owners by allowing defensive teams into a fire area and defend against loss of property. (Christopher Anderson For The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo

The fire damaged siding on a building at the Clare View North apartment complex, 3202 E. 44th Ave., and nearly overtook a firetruck, melting lights and welding a compartment on the truck shut.

“I had a vision of a big, black truck in my head,” Schaffer said. “I yelled for evacuation because I thought we would lose the building.”

The fire started in brush, but jumped into trees, which burned quickly and sparked embers.

Schaffer said heat caused a fire hose to explode, creating a fan of water that helped quell the flames. Crews were able to hold the fire to 3 acres. No injuries were reported.

Besides the Spokane Fire Department and District 8, Department of Natural Resources crews also helped on the scene.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.