Dishman Fires May Be Connected
Valley Fire inspectors are investigating the possibility that two fires which burned along south Dishman Road earlier this week are connected.
The second of the two fires torched a small patch of grass early Sunday before burning through a garage wall at 1010 S. Dishman.
Neighbors told investigators they were awakened about 2:30 a.m. by what Valley Fire Inspector Kevin Miller described as a sound “like popcorn.” The popping sounds neighbors heard were exploding ammunition.
Steve Goeden, who owns the garage, which sits next to his mobile home on Dishman, used it to store his daughter’s shooting equipment, Miller said. A neighbor who lives behind Goeden on South Nina Circle reported the fire.
Most of the ammunition had exploded by the time firefighters arrived.
A 10-foot by 20-foot grassy area close to the garage was also burned. The mobile home was not damaged.
Investigator estimated the fire caused $10,000 damage each to the shooting equipment and the garage.
The first fire burned a 40-foot square area in the brush at 720 S. Dishman about 2:15 a.m. Firefighters were finishing fighting the blaze when they were called to the second.
Tony Kempken sprayed water from a garden hose onto the fire while he waited for firefighters to arrive. Kempken went to Valley Hospital and Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation.
No cause has been determined for either fire, and both are still under investigation, Miller said.
Fire damages attic
Fire ripped through the attic of a Valley home early last Saturday, chasing three people from the house.
Andy Smith was working at his computer when the power went out in the room. Smith reset the breaker and it immediately tripped again.
After trying unsuccessfully to reset the breaker several more times, Smith noticed an orange glow along the eves on the west end of the house at 12:50 a.m.
Smith’s two children, Robert and Rodnee, were also home when the fire started. All three escaped without injuries.
The fire charred the attic above the computer room, a bedroom and parts of the kitchen and living room. Investigators estimated damage at $25,000.
, DataTimes