Smoking Jeep Causes A Scare Fumes Prompt Evacuation Of 100 People West Of Downtown

Smoky fumes from a Jeep that pulled into a downtown Chevron service station caused the evacuation of about 100 people in several Spokane businesses Thursday.

At first, fire investigators believed the smell that overwhelmed workers in an office building at Fourth and Walnut about 12:30 p.m. was natural gas.

The building, which houses John L. Scott Real Estate, the state Department of Health and several accountants and financial planners, was evacuated. About 75 people were inside the five-story brick building at the time.

“It was very strong - enough to make you lightheaded,” said Tom Heafey, a third-floor employee for the Department of Health.

“Yeah, it definitely got to us,” co-worker Nick Lorentz said of the fumes.

The smell drifted into an Exxon service station next door and across the street into the Global Credit Union, employees said.

Kathiee Howard said firefighters didn’t evacuate the Exxon station where she worked, but opened the doors to air it out.

“We had to do something because we were getting headaches,” she said.

Fire crews also blocked off Maple Street between Third and Fourth for 45 minutes while inspectors examined the office building. When they found nothing wrong, they looked upwind, Battalion Chief Jim Walsh said.

That’s when they found out about the Jeep with a broken seal that had rolled into the Chevron parking lot at another corner of Fourth and Maple.

“Apparently some oil was dripping on the Jeep’s hot brakes and it was putting out quite a bit of smoke,” Walsh said. “It drifted up and was carried into the fresh air handling system on the roofs of these buildings.”

The oily smoke permeated the buildings and alarmed employees, who were convinced it smelled like natural gas or propane.

Craig Soehren, who manages the building at Fourth and Walnut, said he got a half-dozen calls from workers about the smell.

“They all said it was a leak,” said Soehren, who works for Kiemle & Hagood Company. “I’m glad it’s nothing serious.”