House destroyed and another damaged from fire in Peaceful Valley

A home was destroyed and a second one damaged by a fire Monday morning in the Peaceful Valley Neighborhood west of downtown Spokane .

Firefighters responded to a report of fire at 5:55 a.m. at 1619 W. Main Ave.

Not long after the initial call, there were reports of smoke coming from the house next door, said Justin de Ruyter, Spokane Fire Department spokesman.

It took about a half-hour to put the fire out, de Ruyter said. None of the four people living in the two homes was injured, he said.

The fire spread to every room of the home in which it originated , and de Ruyter said it is probably not repairable.

The second house, 1621 W. Main Ave., had extensive damage on the second floor and the attic, but it was too early to say if it could be salvaged.

The origin of the fire is under investigation.

Kimberly Walker, who lives in the house where the fire started, thought someone was breaking into her home when she woke up, because she heard glass shattering.

Eventually, she realized there was a fire, but she was not wearing her glasses and did not know where or how the fire started. She left the home through her bathroom window.

Brianne Holzendorf, who lives in the house next door, also did not realize there was a fire until Walker’s yelling woke her up.

Holzendorf said she was able to get her dog and two cats, one black and one gray, outside of the house, but they were missing late Monday morning.

“I just want them found,” she said.

Both homes are owned by Jana Carter, according to Spokane County property records.

The razed home was built in 1902. The home where the fire spread was built in 1897. Carter purchased both in 2003.