Smoke draws firefighters to North Monroe

A report of smoke on the ground floor of the Dresden building on North Monroe prompted Spokane firefighters to close a portion of the street to traffic tonight as they searched for a source. Crews evacuated the building on the 700 block of North Monroe around 7 p.m. and soon emerged with at least one culprit: a smoldering potted aloe vera plant. One firefighter on scene noted that potting soil can burn well, though it wasn’t clear what caused the fire to begin with. The scene was soon cleared and no injuries were reported.