Garage fire cause undetermined

The number of calls was up to 229 for the Spokane Valley Fire Department from Nov. 10-16, but the number of major fires was low.

A garage fire was reported at 5 p.m. Nov. 13 in the 7900 block of East Alki Avenue. The homeowner spotted smoke coming from the attached garage and crews were able to keep the flames from spreading to the house and an adjacent shop. Damage could top $45,000, said Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford.

The fire is believed to be accidental, but the official cause hasn’t been determined, Clifford said.

On Wednesday a resident in the 12100 block of East Boone Avenue set a plastic trash can on top of a stove and it caught fire, Clifford said. The department recommends that people don’t put anything combustible on stoves in case the stove gets turned on, Clifford said. The fire caused $15,000 in damage.

A burned flag was reported the morning of Nov. 11 in the 500 block of North Bowdish Road. It is in the same general area as several other flag burnings reported a few weeks ago, Clifford said.

Crews also responded to a car engine fire, a fire under the dashboard of a van, a campfire and a brush fire along Interstate 90 near Spokane Valley Mall. The brush fire, reported on Wednesday, was about 10 feet by 10 feet, Clifford said. The cause is not known. “People do throw cigarettes out of windows,” Clifford said. “That could have started it. It’s hard to say.”

There were 12 car accidents reported during the week and one person had to be taken to the hospital. Crews responded to 189 EMS calls, two small gasoline spills and a child locked inside a vehicle.