Fire destroys family business

A blaze destroyed a 30-year-old carpet business early Saturday near downtown Spokane.

No one was hurt in the fire that started about 1:15 a.m. at Warehouse Carpets Inc., 2900 East Trent Ave., officials said. The cause remains unknown, but it is not considered suspicious.

It’s possible the cause won’t be determined because the building was destroyed, said Spokane Fire Department investigator Capt. Mike Zambryski. “If the fire was started by something electrical, how could we check?”

A portion of East Trent Avenue – from about the 2800 to the 3000 block – was closed until Saturday evening while the building was demolished. A pile of blackened bricks, charred wooden supports and a metal roof were all that remained of the family-owned business.

Damages were estimated at more than $1 million for the building and its contents. Two antique cars – a 1907 Model T Ford and a 1927 touring car – and a delivery truck, all belonging to the business, were also destroyed in the blaze. The owners have insurance.

The business owners were saddened by the loss of the building but grateful no one was hurt.

“We’re hangin’ in there,” said Nina Cook, one of the owners. “We didn’t lose a family member, it was a building.”

Cook first learned of the fire from her alarm company.

“We got a call at 1:14 a.m. from the alarm company saying our motion detector had gone off,” said Cook. “Then we got a call back, and they said it was fire.”

Cook rushed to the scene to see for herself. It was fully engulfed in flames when she arrived.

“The fire burned a hole through the ‘r’ on the outside of the building,” Cook said, referring to the lettering that displayed the business’s name on the outside of the building. “Then letters started popping off almost hitting firefighters in the head.”

The fire started on the inside at the east end of the building, Zambryski said. The blaze activated the motion detector. Witnesses in the area called 911 to report flames and smoke at the business. The industrial area is often traveled by truckers.

When firefighters first arrived they tried to douse the blaze from inside, Zambryski explained. A short time later, they were told to get out of the building when flames were seen shooting out of the chimney stacks on the roof. At that point it was clear that the upper level of the building was on fire, and it was too dangerous for firefighters to remain inside.

When one piece of a truss goes, the whole roof goes, Zambryski said. The fire department doesn’t want a roof to “pancake” on the firefighters.

On the outside of the building, fire hoses were used to protect surrounding structures and contain the blaze from the outside, Zambryski said. Firefighters were also busy chasing pieces of roof that were flying across the street toward other businesses.

Firefighters continued to douse the smoldering building until late Saturday afternoon, even after it had been demolished.

Blazes aren’t a common occurrence in the industrial area where the business was located, Zambryski said. “There was a small one at the business behind this one about a year and a half ago.”

Warehouse Carpet Inc. has 10 full-time employees and has 10 others who do contract and part-time work. “We are going to do everything we can to keep the employees we have,” said Cook, who plans to operate the family-owned company from her sister’s new business, Gina’s Design Corner. “We really feel fortunate to have them.”

Cook stood with one of her employees, verbally comforting him as they looked at the fire’s destruction.

“He has his blood, sweat and tears in the business too,” Cook said.

Walt Simons, a longtime employee, had installed ceiling tiles throughout the building and carpet display racks in addition to the hours he had spent walking the sales floor.

“I’m so heartbroken,” Simons said. “I’m speechless.”

His wife, Secret, added that it wasn’t just a family-owned business. “It was a family,” she said.

“We’ve been broken into before, but nothing major like this,” Cook said. “Obviously there was a different plan for us, and we just weren’t aware of it.”