Spokane7
50°
March 16, 2010 in City
Fire damages converted Sprague Ave. apartments
Building condition called substandard
Richard Henderson wraps himself in a blanket after a fire forced him out of a house on East Sprague Avenue where he was renting Tuesday, March 16, 2010. The house was posted as uninhabitable by the Spokane Fire Department.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)
The Spokane fire marshal this morning ordered closure of a substandard apartment building after a suspicious fire damaged a portion of the crowded and cluttered property.
“It’s a wreck,” said Fire Marshal Lisa Jones as she inspected a series of tiny makeshift apartments in a converted house at 2217 E. Sprague Ave.
Residents said the fire started in a small main-story space that was known to them as “the church,” and was filled with books and furniture, Jones said.
Investigators this morning were sifting through debris to find the point of origin. The area had been locked and secured Monday night, the manager of the property had reported.
Several residents made it out safely when fire erupted about 5:30 a.m.
Richard Henderson, who occupied a rear apartment, said he heard a loud thud that alerted him to trouble. He went outside and checked along an outer wall.
“I looked in this window and saw flames shooting out the back wall,” he said.
He said he ran to Sprague Avenue and flagged down a motorist and passenger who let him use a cell phone to call 911.
“Everybody got out safe,” he said.
Jones said it appeared that three apartments were being occupied by renters, one of whom told her he was paying $250 a month, but as many as seven people may have been living there.
Henderson said his rent was $175.
The property was owned by an entity called the Houston Church of Christ, Inc., which listed a residential address on the 4600 block of North Howard Street, according to county property records.
Inside the building, extension cords were hanging from ceilings. Bathroom fixtures were installed in various locations, including a toilet in a closet. Space heaters and baseboards were used to heat the apartments, and were dangerously close to combustibles. A basement exit window was illegally boarded up.
“This is atrocious,” Jones said. “Nobody should live in these kinds of conditions.”
The exhaust flue for an aging furnace, which residents said was not being used, would have leaked carbon monoxide into the basement.
The building had five mail boxes, but seven electrical meters. Jones was checking to see if the apartments had received a city building permit as required.
An expanded basement on the west side of the house was filled with old belongings, but apparently was used in part as a place to sleep.
Jones said it appeared the building had been used by non-renters.
Henderson said Phillip Paul, an Eastern State Hospital mental patient who gained national notoriety when he escaped during a field trip to the Spokane fair last summer, had stayed there at one time.
A pile of old building materials was stacked along the west side of the building, which Jones called a “kindling pile.” An old school bus parked next to the materials was also filled with items.
The debris triggered a recent complaint against the property, which resulted in a notice of violation from the city building department last week.
The Red Cross disaster assistance team was at the fire scene this morning, helping residents with temporary housing and emergency belongings.
Residents were being allowed into the building to retrieve belongings before it was to be boarded up under the no-occupancy order.
One of the residents, who uses a bicycle to get around, told Jones and other emergency workers, “I’ve been homeless off and on. I’ll be fine.”
2 home invasion robberies in Spokane 
smarg on March 16 at 8:34 a.m.
DO you folks know how much firefighters are paid and the fabulous perks they have, all on the taxpayer’s dime? It is preposterous!
GOVERNMENT WORKER REFORM NOW!!
flutieflakes on March 16 at 9:08 a.m.
You should become one.
Smokie on March 16 at 9:41 a.m.
TJ, Firefighters do get paid a good wage for a good reason. They are paid for a lot of risk that they incur for the protection of your city, so you can have a job (if you ever decide to do that). They are exposed to diseases, filth and strenuous labor not to mention carcinogens, fire, building collapse, etc. all to maintain a city that functions.
When I was in the military I heard a lot from guys like you. Lots of opinions but not ever brave enough or smart enough or motivated enough to do the work.
Frankly, your attitude makes me sick. And I wonder why I dedicated so many years of my life fighting for your freedom so you can be such a drag on society.
Take the test. I bet you aren’t even motivated enough to do that.
Pathetic.
smarg on March 16 at 10:42 a.m.
Smokie, for too long the unions that represent fire and police have gouged and extorted communities for outlandish pay and retirement perks. Some have had to declare bankruptcy because of it. So, don’t lecture us on how much we need this parasitism, please.
Thank you.
SugarShane on March 16 at 11:23 a.m.
I can easily see TJ’s point. I lived in a rural area and was a volunteer firefighter for over two years, meanwhile in the big city a 100k salary for a cop or fireman is the norm not the exception, with unions involved, that wont likely change.
@Smokie&flutieflakes, IM not sure why everyone that has an opinion about something that isnt favorable, people jump all over them and say “why dont you do it then”? The odds of securing employment are just as good here as anywhere, there are lines of applicants.
@Smokie who exactly were you protecting our freedom from, ourselves? I hadnt heard anyone had tried to take it from us.
I always have a good laugh at soldiers that were brainwashed into thinking they were doing ANYTHING but a job. “We’re spreading freedom and Democracy, hell yeah.”
Go Team America!
Smokie on March 16 at 2:02 p.m.
Sugar Shane, Thanks for volunteering to serve your community.
You are, however, vastly mistaken if you think a volunteer in a rural area is the same as a professional in a dense urban area. Spokane had a volunteer fire department until the city burned down. Then, they did like every other city and created a department and filled it with paid, professional firefighters. And Spokane’s firefighters are valuable for keeping a city alive.
I am sorry that you feel it necessary to denigrate the work that our soldiers do, that our firefighters do and our police officers do. It is work they do for you 24-7 365 days a year. Perhaps you are feeling ashamed. Please don’t. I am sure you contribute to society in your own way. Maybe.
As for the money professionals earn - firefighters, cops, airline pilots, plumbers, CPAs, etc. I can’t help but think that you are anti-union and begrudge those who actually have worked hard to get where they are and then stand together to improve the lot for everyone including yourself. You would rather slave, complain and whimper to your master and try to tear others down than build yourself and others up by standing up. People like you will be the downfall of our nation.
west on March 16 at 2:48 p.m.
Hey 50-60,000 for 5 year people is not bad pay, if captains and lieut make 70-95,000 a year, which they do, and bat chiefs $100,000 plus…guess the workers who put out the fires deserve $50-$60,000 after 5 years. Stress and hazzards go with the job and pay..just like our boys in Iraq and Afganistan…??
flutieflakes on March 16 at 3:58 p.m.
$40,000 to 60,000 annually for firefighters is not what is putting our city in the poor house.
Fire292 on March 16 at 6:12 p.m.
TJ and Sugar Shane. I first want to thank you for using your rights as a citizen of the United States of America for voicing your opinion.
Now, as an “overpaid” professional Firefighter/Paramedic, as you describe me, I have a few questions. Have you ever held a lifeless 2 year old in your arms while the mother screamed for you to save them. Ever watched a 9 year old breathe his last breath. Ever searched for an hour in a burned house for a 3 year old that has burned to death and did not even look like a human anymore. These are a few of hundreds of examples I could give. We do what we do because we love our jobs and we love making a difference. Not one individual I work with thinks they are a “hero”. We work over 50 hours a week average and if you think we sleep all night maybe you should ride along. We appreciate the pay we are given and respect the citizens that pay taxes in hard economic times. I am compensated for a job that makes a difference and that I love. Is it too much money for what we do? You might need to get your facts in order. Meanwhile we are ready to serve you and your loved ones wherever, whenever.