Roaring fire damages apartment complex

Flames destroyed a north Spokane apartment unit Friday night as residents watched from a courtyard.

Fire crews were called to Cedar Springs Apartments, 1015 E. Cozza Drive, at 8:25 p.m., said Spokane Fire Chief Bobby Williams.

“This was a pretty hot fire,” said firefighter Shannon Morse, who was one of the first three firefighters on scene. “It had a chance to get cooking.”

Morse and firefighter Jim Thomas entered the apartment and knocked down flames with compressed air foam.

A top floor apartment was gutted by flames. The unit below and two apartments next door suffered water and other damage. Williams credited a fire wall with stopping the spread of the fire.

No injuries were reported.

Residents of the apartment that suffered the most damage were not home when the fire started. Williams said investigators were still working to determine the cause and origin of the fire Friday night.

One damaged apartment belonged to Don and Sue Morgan, who moved there only two weeks ago. They said parents and a couple kids lived above them. The Morgans weren’t home at the time of the fire but arrived soon after it was extinguished.

Bonnie Balyeat, who lives a couple apartments away, said she saw flames as she was starting on a walk.

“As soon as I saw it, I ran back in a called 911,” she said.

The fire scorched the ground 10 feet or more away from the building. Firefighters said they could see smoke when they left Fire Station No. 18, 10 blocks west of the apartment.

“It was going pretty good when we came around the corner,” Morse said.