Roof work starts apartment fire

Four apartments were evacuated Tuesday when fire broke out on the roof of a two-story building with apartments and commercial businesses.

The fire at Ash Street and Mansfield Avenue was caused by workers who were on the roof, said Brian Schaeffer, assistant chief of the Spokane Fire Department.

Resident Linda Perez said the workers had been using a torch to melt tar on the roof. She smelled smoke about 10:40 a.m. and rushed out of the building.

“The first thing I did was grab my baby and my purse and run out,” Perez said, referring to her dog, a miniature pinscher-chihuahua mix named Nikki.

The fire broke out at the rear corner of resident Stacy Hollister’s apartment. Hollister, who was asleep when it started, stood on the sidewalk in pink pajamas watching the firefighters tear off parts of the roof above her unit and a back porch.

She managed to get her two dogs out, but didn’t have time to grab her five cats. To Hollister’s relief, however, a firefighter informed her that they had been corralled in a bedroom, where they were safe.

The Red Cross worked to find temporary housing for the apartment building’s residents.

Damage to the building is estimated to be $20,000.