Smoke Alarm Helps Family Escape Fire

A smoke alarm helped a Spokane family escape injury when the basement of the single-level home they were renting caught fire Saturday.

Firefighters attributed the blaze - which severely damaged a basement bedroom and caused smoke damage throughout the house - to an 11-year-old boy playing with a lighter in his bedroom.

The Spokane Fire Department arrived at the home at 2327 E. Joseph around 8 a.m. Firefighters could see the blaze inside through a basement window.

Resident Art Anderson evacuated his family after hearing the basement alarm go off. His wife and two of his three sons, the 11-year-old and a 14-year-old, were home at the time. The oldest, 15, was not home.

The Red Cross was called to provide the family with temporary housing until a renters’ insurance claim is settled.

The house is owned by Gates Realty.

, DataTimes