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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Child able to unlock door for homeowner

Staff Reports The Spokesman-Review

Spokane Valley firefighters responded to 189 calls in the seven days that ended Feb. 13, including one in which a 2-year-old child got the job done first.

Inspector Bill Clifford said a firefighter was trying unsuccessfully to help a homeowner who was accidentally locked out last Saturday, shortly after 6 a.m.

Unable to force open a window, the firefighter was considering Plan B when the homeowner’s 2-year-old child – who was inside the house – managed to unlock a door.

The district had three other calls for general service, including two in which water leaked into homes – from a leaky water meter in one case and from a broken water main in the other.

A broken main on Woodlawn Road, between 13th and 15th avenues, flooded the basement of a home at 12807 E. 13th Ave. shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Clifford said firefighters also responded to seven structure fires and three vehicle fires, all minor, and 13 vehicle accidents.

A high-speed, head-on crash shortly before noon on Sunday, in the 600 block of South Rotchford Drive, sent five people to hospitals with minor injuries. Another motorist was taken to a hospital Wednesday morning with serious injuries after a vehicle went out of control on ice in the 1400 block of South Pines Road.

Two other traffic accidents involved separate collisions with moose, near Trent Avenue’s intersections with Starr Road and with Campbell Road. At least one moose was killed, and a 35-year-old man suffered minor injuries.

In addition, firefighters responded to 145 calls for emergency medical service, 15 alarm systems and two suspected hazardous-materials incidents.

Clifford said one of the “hazmat” calls involved a leaking, 120-gallon propane tank. The other was just a carbon monoxide detector beeping because its battery was weak.

Two of the 15 alarm-system calls also were caused by bad batteries. Clifford urged residents to check their alarm batteries monthly.

Also, he said motorists should be watchful for moose and other wildlife driven to lower elevations by snowfall.