Spokane firefighters extinguish apartment fire; one treated for smoke inhalation

One person was treated for smoke inhalation from an apartment fire in the Logan neighborhood Saturday evening.

Around 5:30 p.m., Spokane firefighters responded to several 911 calls of fire alarms, screams and smoke on the third floor of an apartment building on the 200 block of Nora Avenue.

Firefighters arrived within four minutes of dispatch to smoke pluming from the third floor and an adult victim leaning from a third-story window, “appearing in distress,” according to a Spokane Fire Department news release. Firefighters placed ladders on all floors on multiple sides of the building to prepare for potential evacuations.

Paramedics and medical response personnel treated one adult victim, who firefighters removed from the fire, for smoke inhalation in the unit where the fire originated. The victim was not hospitalized.

In the unit of the fire’s origin, firefighters extinguished flames in minutes, and damage was primarily contained to the bedroom, where the fire started.

An investigation indicated smoke alarms were activated 10 minutes prior to the 911 calls. Before calling emergency services, the occupant attempted to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher provided by the building owner, per state law. The delay in notification posed a risk to building occupants and contributed to smoke proliferation, according to the news release.

The fire department urges people to immediately exit a building when an alarm sounds and promptly call 911 once evacuated.

The cause and nature of the fire is under investigation.