West Central Spokane fire began under ‘suspicious’ circumstances

A fire in the West Central neighborhood of Spokane started under suspicious circumstances, said Spokane Fire Department spokesperson Justin de Ruyter.

The fire, which was reported by multiple callers at around 4 a.m., began in a camper in the front yard of 1518 N. Adams St. It spread from the camper to the front of the house, de Ruyter said.

Firefighters were on scene in four minutes and completely extinguished the fire within 20 minutes. The home suffered $60,000 in damages, de Ruyter said.

de Ruyter said that the lone female occupant was uninjured and declined assistance from the American Red Cross.

Neighbors reported to firefighters on scene that they saw somebody running away from the camper immediately before the fire. They told firefighters that the house had had problems in the past, de Ruyter said.

Neighbor Kevin Seals, 64, has lived in the area for 25 years. He said the camper had been in front of the house for months prior to fire , but he had never had any issue with the occupants of the house himself.

Seals, who has raised multiple kids and grandkids in his house, said that the neighborhood is generally quiet, save a shooting incident and a handful of fires over the years.

Due to a lack of evidence of foul play, the official cause of the fire is undetermined, de Ruyter said. He said the investigation is complete unless someone provides further evidence.

Spokane County property records indicate the home, which was built in 1893, is owned by David and Bridgit Wilson, who bought the home in 2002.