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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

56-year-old man identified in fatal Spokane Valley apartment fire

First responders investigate an apartment fire Jan. 22 on North Skipworth Road in Spokane Valley. Firefighters found 56-year-old Rob Johnson dead in one of the apartment units.  (Courtesy of Spokane Valley Fire Department)

A 56-year-old man was identified as the person who died last week in a Spokane Valley apartment fire, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Rob Johnson’s cause and manner of death are pending, the medical examiner’s office said.

Firefighters responded shortly before 8 p.m. on Jan. 22 to Four Oaks and the Villa on North Skipworth Road for the blaze, said Patrick Erickson, Spokane Valley Fire Department spokesman.

Crews doused the fire burning a tree or tall bush outside the building but noticed a fire inside a unit on the first floor, Erickson said. Firefighters located Johnson’s body when they entered the unit.

Erickson said Tuesday the cause of the fire is under investigation and investigators are waiting on the medical examiner’s office report.