Gas fire explodes in cave below Holiday Inn in north Spokane, bringing flames within feet of hotel

A natural gas fire so hot it melted rock erupted in an explosion below the Holiday Inn on Division Street Monday evening as flames got within feet of the building.

That metal-melting temperature is “extremely rare,” said Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer. It was able to climb as the fire burned in the small, enclosed cave, he said.

Around 8 p.m., firefighters responded to a reported illegal burn at the hotel, according to a Spokane Fire Department news release.

The initial report indicated that an uncontrolled fire was burning below the hotel in a basalt rock outcropping. The first company arrived within 4 minutes and found the blaze emanating from what looked like a natural cave below the hotel, the release said.

A natural gas line inside the basalt cave had ruptured and the flowing natural gas found an ignition source, exploding in “heavy fire,” the release said.

The fire was so large and hot, it required six engines, three ladder companies and two battalion chiefs to fight it, the release said. The heat rose to hundreds of degrees and melted rock and nearby water pipes while damaging underground infrastructure, the release said.

Firefighters managed to keep the fire from reaching the Holiday Inn from North River Drive, but evacuated the hotel and searched it. Gas and smoke approached the hotel, trapped under concrete around the building, Schaeffer said, until Avista Utilities crews controlled the gas flow.

After staying at the hotel with Avista crews through most of the night and into the early morning, firefighters are still investigating the cause of the leak, Schaeffer said.

Schaeffer said the fire demonstrated why people need to call 911 immediately when they notice the rotten egg smell added to gas.