Fourth fire in Spokane area displaces residents

An early morning fire has damaged apartments on North Crestline Street in Spokane. It was the fourth fire that displaced residents in the Spokane area since early Saturday. Investigators were on the scene at 3004 N. Crestline St. trying to determine a cause of the 12:40 a.m. fire that required two alarms because of a volume of smoke coming from the building The Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross reported that it’s assisting residents in two units with temporary housing as well as food and clothing. Fire officials said that all of the residents were evacuated without injury and the fire was brought under control in about 20 minutes. One firefighter suffered a shoulder injury while working to ventilate heat and smoke through the roof. Another fire was reported in the Wayside area on Sunday, which damaged a home occupied by Chad and Kayla Stewart and eight children, officials said. The family was away at church when the fire broke out in the main living area, according to Fire District No. 4 officials. The fire rekindled early today after a hidden hot spot in the roof continued to burn. The home was considered a total loss on Sunday, and the rekindled fire in the roof added to the damage. The home is located on Panorama Road east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 395 and Half Moon Road. Thermal imaging equipment apparently failed to detect the hot spot in the roof because of insulation that shielded the hot spot from the infrared detection, said Pat Humphries, public information officer. One firefighter fell to his waist after entering the home during the initial fire on Sunday and dropped into a collapsing portion of the floor, he said. The firefighter was not injured. Children in the family were adopted from an African country, Humphries said. Two other house fires occurred Saturday, including one at 2311 N. Stevens St. about 11 a.m. that was caused by a space heater used to prevent water pipes from freezing in the basement. Two occupants there were being helped by the Red Cross, according to Megan Snow, director of communications and marketing for Red Cross. The other Saturday fire displaced a family of five at 1712 W. Nora Ave. The cause was under investigation.