Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Crews douse burning garage wall ignited by faulty wiring
Firefighters in the Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to a recent garage fire that they were able to extinguish before it spread to the home.
The fire was reported in the 3700 block of South Vercler Lane at 10:50 a.m. on Jan. 24. The fire was put out quickly with the help of firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 8. No one was injured, department spokeswoman Julie Happy said.
The fire was confined to the north wall of the garage and the top of a workbench. An investigation determined the fire was started by faulty electrical wiring inside the wall near the workbench.
Other calls, Jan. 18-24
Jan. 18: A chaotic scene involving two crashed cars shut down Evergreen Road near Sprague Avenue at 2:16 p.m. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office was involved in a pursuit before the crash and a partial taser application was reported. A dog was also involved. A second-floor apartment resident in the 13200 block of East Skyview Avenue reported smelling propane at 9:17 p.m. An investigation revealed her downstairs neighbor was cleaning a carburetor in his kitchen sink, and it was the odor of the cleaner that the woman had smelled.
Jan. 19: A woman in an apartment in the 22800 block of East Country Vista Drive called at 2:01 a.m. to report water was dripping through her ceiling out of a light fixture. Firefighters could not gain access to the apartment above to find the problem.
Jan. 20: A possible illegal fire was reported in the 18800 block of East Arbor Circle at 9:15 a.m. The homeowner was burning furniture in the yard and was notified the fire was illegal. A ruptured natural gas line was reported near Broadway Avenue and Bowdish Road at 3:57 p.m. A construction crew severed a half-inch line. Avista Utilities responded to shut off the gas and repair the leak.
Jan. 21: A Waste Management truck with its bucket up in the air snagged several lines over Wilbur Road between 24th and 25th avenues at 6:47 a.m. The lines were phone and communication wires, not power lines, and the lines were cut to free the truck. A resident reported a hot and smoking baseboard heater in a home in the 1000 block of South Pierce Road at 4:36 p.m. No cause for the smoke could be determined, and the heater and wall were not hot.
Jan. 22: A woman was hit and dragged by a vehicle in the 500 block of North Sullivan Road at 9:44 a.m. The vehicle left the scene. The woman’s injuries were serious and possibly life threatening. The driver was located, and he told police he wasn’t aware he had hit anyone. An engine was driving by a home in the 3300 block of North Harvard Road at 12:19 p.m. when it spotted a large yard waste fire in the front yard. The homeowner was burning a large pile of tree branches and was informed that burning yard waste was illegal. The crew put out the fire.
Jan. 24: A possible electrical fire was reported in the 800 block of South Raymond Road at 11:01 a.m. The homeowner said they had unplugged a lamp that sparked. The outlet had shorted and melted a little bit. There was no fire.
By the numbers: Firefighters responded to 321 calls from Jan. 18 to 24, including 260 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses included a woman whose leg was stuck between the bed frame and the bed, a large gasoline spill at a gas station caused when an unattended pump failed to shut off automatically and a fire alarm triggered by steam from a dryer vent.