Fire damages Valley councilman’s home

An early-morning fire Friday caused extensive damage to the home of Spokane Valley City Councilman Dick Denenny.

Denenny and his wife, Kathy, were at their other residence in Spirit Lake with their son, daughter and grandchildren at the time of the fire.

Crews were called to the Spokane Valley house, 1615 S. Virginia, about 5:20 a.m. Witnesses said firefighters arrived within minutes but flames quickly towered above the garage. Smoke poured from most of the home’s windows, and several explosions could be heard coming from the garage.

“I bought that house when I was 28 years old,” Denenny said Friday afternoon after driving back to Spirit Lake. “I’ve lived most of my adult life there. I raised three kids there.”

But he added that the death of their son, Tim, in 1991 puts the fire into perspective. Only property was lost, and stacks of family photo albums were saved.

The Denennys rushed back to Spokane Valley after getting a call from former Spokane Valley Mayor Mike DeVleming. DeVleming was on his way to a golf outing when he saw the flames, Dick Denenny said. He knew that the Denennys were in Spirit Lake because he and Denenny had lunch together Thursday.

Denenny said it will take six months to rebuild the home. He and his wife, a Holy Family Hospital nurse, will find a temporary place to live in Spokane Valley and likely will spend more time in Spirit Lake.

Spokane Valley Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Clifford said the blaze started just outside the garage. The fire did not appear suspicious Friday, but Clifford said the cause remained under investigation.

The home, built in 1955, suffered about $150,000 in damage, he said. The garage, which shares a roof with the rest of the house, was destroyed and collapsed. Fire damage reached the kitchen, and smoke and water damage was extensive throughout. Clifford said that damage to the home’s contents could reach $100,000.

Denenny, 60, was elected to the first Spokane Valley City Council in 2002 and re-elected in 2005. He is a past chairman of the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce and owns Richard H. Denenny Co., an employee benefit insurance consulting firm.