Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Crews, aircraft subdue flames in brush, trees in Liberty Lake campground
The weather is turning cooler, but the season for brush fires is still underway. The Spokane Valley Fire Department recently responded to a small wildfire near Liberty Lake Regional Park Campground at 11 a.m. Sept. 23.
Flames were reported in brush and trees. Several fire engines responded, including a water tender and an engine from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. Valley Engine 15 hit a deer while it was responding to the fire, said department spokeswoman Julie Happy.
The Department of Natural Resources assisted with the fire and also dispatched an aircraft to help. Crews were able to surround the fire with a wet line and put the fire out.
Other calls, Sept. 20-26
Sept. 20: A call reporting a possible natural gas odor was received at 7:24 a.m. in the area of Woodruff Road and Montgomery Drive. The smell was traced to an overheating battery. Another natural gas call was reported at Avalon Road and Queen Avenue at 9:16 a.m. The caller had hit a natural gas meter with a car and reported hearing hissing. The gas was turned off and Avista was notified of the needed repairs. A fire was reported at Kaiser Aluminum at 12:04 p.m. A fire suppression system was activated and the fire was out when crews arrived.
Sept. 21: A car reportedly hit a pedestrian in the 400 block of South Sullivan Road at 7:53 a.m.
Sept. 22: A caller reported seeing a car upside down in the Spokane River across from the 11800 block of East Coyote Rock Drive at 10:34 a.m. A water rescue team was dispatched and determined that it was only a car frame that had been dumped in the river. A call reporting a car hitting a pedestrian at Argonne Road and Maringo Drive came in at about 10 p.m. The pedestrian was taken to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries. The driver was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide.
Sept. 23: A construction crew working west of the intersection of Pines Road and Mansfield Avenue hit and severed a 1-inch natural gas line at 7:12 a.m. Avista was notified of the leak. Traffic in the area was shut down until the leak was repaired. Members of the Rescue Task Force assisted the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team with a call at 9:49 a.m.
Sept. 25: A possible illegal fire was reported in the 9900 block of East Empire Way in an area known to be a homeless camp at 1:07 a.m. A small camp fire was found and put out. No one was present in the area. A person reported seeing a column of smoke in Millwood at 6:55 p.m. Crews found only two columns of steam coming from the paper mill.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 410 calls the week of Sept. 20-26, including 338 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses included 16 fires, 15 car crashes, two barbecue fires and a person locked outside of their apartment.
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Correspondent Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com.