Spokane Valley Fire roundup:

Firefighters with the Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to several major incidents the week of April 12-18, including rescuing a small dog from a house fire and putting out a chicken coop fire during which no chickens were injured.

The chicken coop/shed fire was reported just before noon April 15 in the 5900 block of North Star Road. An off-duty firefighter reported the fire, which was putting out a large column of smoke. When crews arrived the coop was burning and the resident was trying to put out the flames with a garden hose, said department spokeswoman Julie Happy.

The backyard chicken coop, which was about 10 feet by 10 feet in size, was destroyed, but no chickens were injured. A nearby pile of hay also burned. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Four apartments were damaged by a fire that was reported at 7:35 a.m. on Friday in an apartment complex in the 13300 block of East Mission Avenue. When crews arrived, they could see fire on the exterior of a second-floor apartment, Happy said. The fire spread into the attic before it could be put out.

Firefighters were assisted by a crew from the Spokane Fire Department. No one was injured and the Red Cross responded to assist the seven adults and one child displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Explosions were reported at a garage fire in the 100 block of North Marguerite Road at 10:35 a.m. on Sunday. A detached garage was fully on fire when crews arrived, and the flames had spread to the home, a car and an outbuilding.

Crews were able to put out the fire before the interior of the home was damaged, but the garage was destroyed. The explosions were most likely propane tanks that ruptured, Happy said.

Firefighters searched the home when they arrived, but the only one home was a small dog named Maru. The dog was taken outside and kept firefighters company until his owners arrived home. No one was injured, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Other calls April 12-18

April 12: A car crash was reported in the 5800 block of North McKinzie Road at 3:31 p.m. The caller reported that a cat was on the brake pedal, which caused the car to crash into a garage. A minor injury was reported.

April 13: An elderly man called from the area of Whipple Road and 30th Avenue at 10:45 a.m. to report that he had accidentally locked himself out of his house and needed help getting back inside. A possible dumpster fire was reported in the 2100 block of North Argonne Road at 12:59 p.m. Crews found a burning pile of trash inside a dumpster enclosure. The fire is under investigation.

April 14: A chimney fire was reported in the 2100 block of North Locust Road at 9:13 a.m. The flames were spotted by a neighbor. Only smoke and embers were coming from the chimney when firefighters arrived. They doused the fire with water and checked to see if it had spread into the attic or walls.

April 15: A fire alarm sounded at Skyview Elementary School in the 16900 block of East Wellesley Avenue at 3:47 a.m. There was no fire, but crews found water in the hallway in the school’s west wing. A fire alarm sounded at a hotel in the 6300 block of East Broadway Avenue at 9:04 p.m. A small fire was found in a bathroom in a unit where the occupants had covered the smoke detector with a shower cap.

April 16: The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office called at 12:12 a.m. to ask for help in getting a man down from a billboard 50 feet above the ground in the 9900 block of East Fourth Avenue. Firefighters extended a ladder to the base of an existing ladder leading partway down from the billboard. The man climbed down without incident. A possible deck fire was reported in the 26400 block of East Rowan Avenue at 5:48 p.m. Neighbors said they noticed flames coming from the back deck of a home and that they put out the fire with a garden hose. A discarded rear-projection television was sitting on the deck and it appeared that the screen had magnified the sunlight, igniting the television’s enclosure.

April 17: A natural gas leak was reported in the 12400 block of East Broadway Avenue at 10:34 a.m. The gas line leading into a building had been broken. The gas was shut off, and Avista was called to repair the line. Broadway was shut down until the leak was fixed. An empty kayak was reported in the Spokane River near the Spokane Valley Mall at 12:35 p.m., prompting a water rescue response. The caller had reported seeing a man fall into the water. Two kayakers in the area said they had not seen anyone and helped retrieve the empty kayak. While crews were preparing to search for the missing kayaker, he called 911 to report that he had made it out of the water. His kayak was returned to him. A homeowner in the 400 block of North Corbin Road called 911 at 8:15 p.m. to report that his burn bin was out of control. The man was burning construction debris, which is illegal, and firefighters discovered that the fire was too close to a structure and that the man had no water available to put the fire out. Crews put the fire out.

By the numbers: Crews responded to 417 calls the week of April 12-18, including 344 calls for emergency medical services. Additional responses included a woman pouring gasoline on weeds in her yard and numerous calls for downed trees and power lines during Sunday’s windstorm, including two trees that fell on occupied homes. The damage appeared to be minor in both cases, and no one was injured.