Downtown Spokane businesses, residents grapple with fallout of Howard Street apartment fire

Judy LaShaw returned to her apartment Wednesday around 7 p.m. to find firefighters, Red Cross workers and her neighbors milling around the seven-story building’s entrance.

“I had no idea what was going on at first,” LaShaw said.

It didn’t take long for LaShaw to learn that she, her partner for whom she provides live-in care and their 60 neighbors were displaced after a fire broke out on the sixth floor of the Coeur d’Alene Plaza Apartments, 228 N. Howard St.

No one was injured in the blaze, but the response from the Spokane Fire Department, and a burst water main high in the building caused water damage throughout the building and down to the restaurant and shops on the first floor.

O’Doherty’s Irish Grille; the toy, novelty and gift store Boo Radley’s; and macabre boutique Petunia & Loomis were closed for the immediate future as of Thursday afternoon, as their owners and employees worked to clean up the damage. Power was restored to the shops around noon Thursday.

“We’re a small business, and so it’s already really hard with just me and my wife,” Petunia & Loomis co-owner Jesse McCauley said. “With the two of us being the only ones here, setbacks like this are really difficult and hard to weather, but we’re hoping it’s something that we’ll get through.”

Standing in front of the locked door to the building Thursday morning, LaShaw said she, her partner and their pug, Chevy, were evacuated, but her lovebird Chatterbox remained in their second story apartment. She worried that the lack of power in the apartments has caused indoor temperatures to plummet, and that Chatterbox may not survive.

LaShaw said she had not heard from management on when she and her neighbors may be able to re-enter the building, or just how badly her space was affected. If they can’t return for a while, she worries she may become homeless.

She was able to stay with her son overnight in State Line, but she said that likely was a one-time occurrence. He simply doesn’t have the space for anything longer term.

“I didn’t have enough cash to get a hotel room; everything’s up there,” LaShaw said, pointing up to her window.

LaShaw said she’s concerned what may happen to her more vulnerable neighbors in the low-income apartment building. Many residents are elderly, on a fixed income or live with ongoing health issues.

The American Red Cross is providing assistance to those affected by the fire. Residents were shuttled onto Spokane Transit Authority buses Wednesday night to stay out of the cold, and eventually were moved to a church in Browne’s Addition where they were provided food, water and cots to sleep on.

LaShaw’s neighbor Eric Gaither, 57, said he tried to stay at the church as long as he could, but eventually got uncomfortable around 3 a.m. and left to see if he could return to his apartment. He stood outside the door around 11 a.m., lamenting his hunger and cold.

“I just want to eat,” Gaither said. “If there’s no power, everything in that fridge is gone. The water probably got everything in the cupboards too.”

Gaither said all of his belongings are in his apartment, which he’s called home since 2017. He enjoys living downtown for the amenities and the proximity to Riverfront Park, and hopes he won’t have to move.

The brick apartment building was constructed in 1890, the year after the Great Spokane Fire, which destroyed most of the city. It was purchased in 2022 for $9.5 million by CDA Plaza Limited Partnership, which listed its address in Austin, Texas.

Multiple attempts to reach the building’s owners, and the management company Redwood Communities, were unsuccessful Thursday.

Many of the displaced residents said they also were unsuccessful Thursday in getting information from the management group about the extent of the damages, and when they may be able to return.

For the business owners on the first floor, much of Thursday was spent cleaning, calling cleaning and insurance agencies, and strategizing how to get the doors open as quickly as possible. The holiday season is often the busiest shopping period of the year, and losing sales for even a day can greatly impact a small business.

Tim O’Doherty said he’s still not sure when he’ll be able to reopen the doors to his 33-year-old business. Water was cut off to the entire building, and he’s still not sure when it may come back on.

He’ll need to have the carpets cleaned, and keep fans and dehumidifiers running to get rid of the damp musty smell lingering in the building Thursday. He said he was pleased to see the damage wasn’t quite as bad as he anticipated when he left the pub around midnight, especially after he and the staff had to empty several trash cans worth of ceiling drippings.

O’Doherty said the business should weather the storm just fine, but he feels for his employees who will lose out on a few days of work at a time of year when finances are already tight. He’s grateful for the support and outreach that kept his phone ringing off the hook Wednesday night into Thursday.

“So many nice people,” O’Doherty said. “The calls, the texts, it’s wonderful. That makes you feel really good about your city and the time you spent in it.”

McCauley said a “substantial amount of water” came through the shop’s ceiling Wednesday evening, causing flooring to warp, ceilings to shift and damaging stock in his supply room. The shop relocated from its former location last month, and just held a grand reopening Saturday.

“It was pouring through,” McCauley said. “Like filling regular size Rubbermaid totes in a matter of minutes. It felt like gallons at a time.”

McCauley said he went next door Wednesday evening to check how Boo Radley’s was faring, only to see much more water flowing down the walls and through the ceiling. It was all hands on deck for the tightly knit corner, with the owners and employees of all three businesses in the building working to minimize damages, he said.

“Our little community right here really rallied together to help each other,” McCauley said.

McCauley would like to get the shop open in time for the complimentary photoshoots with Krampus – a half-goat character who punishes naughty children at Christmas – that the shop planned to host every Saturday in December. He’s got some cleaning to do, and is waiting to confirm with the building owner that no further damages are to be expected before he peels the plastic covers off his display cases.

Boo Radley’s owner Jen Menzer said she hopes to have the store open around midday Friday. Employees, friends and former owners Kris and Andy Dinnison cycled in and out of the shop Thursday assisting with cleanup efforts, just a fraction of the “outpouring of love and support” Menzer said she’s received since news of the fire and damages broke.

“I’ve had people I don’t know messaging me and offering headlamps and pop-up shop space, and it’s been awesome,” Menzer said. “And overwhelming, but overwhelmingly awesome.”

Menzer said while the loss of business will be felt, as will the thousands in physical damages, she worries about the residents displaced from the apartments above the shop.

“My heart hurts for them,” Menzer said. “They could be out for a while.”

Glenn Lockwood, a senior volunteer with the Red Cross, said the organization planned to keep the emergency shelter at All Saints Lutheran Church open for another night, and that dinner and breakfast would be provided to displaced residents.

Longterm solutions for the residents may be harder to come by, but Lockwood said the organization is working to help. That includes collaborating with the agencies that provide many of them with some form of public assistance, opening lines of communication with the property owner and management company, and providing health services.

Vouchers may be dispersed to address specific needs stemming from the fire and flooding down the road, Lockwood said, but they are not guaranteed.

“There’s a possibility that will happen after stability occurs for the residents, either back into their homes or elsewhere,” Lockwood said. “They’ll still have needs.”

Lockwood said those interested in assisting the displaced should give monetary donations to the Red Cross, and not physical items, as the individuals they assist often have nowhere to put the items they receive. Donations can be made online, over the phone at 1-800-RED-CROSS or by texting REDCROSS to 90999, which will result in a $10 gift.