In brief: Breaking glass alerts pair to fire

Spokane firefighters extinguished a fire Saturday night that caused substantial damage to a Bemiss-area home and displaced two residents.

Crews were called to a single-story residence at 1825 E. Empire Ave. at 9:18 p.m. They quickly extinguished the blaze.

One of the home’s two residents was at home with his girlfriend. They were watching a movie in his room when he said he heard glass breaking. He went into the kitchen, where he saw flames at the back of the house. He and his girlfriend escaped out his bedroom window. His roommate, the other tenant, was not at home at the time, he said.

The fire was mostly contained to the basement and was under investigation.

Heart Walk set for Saturday

Spokane’s annual American Heart Association Heart Walk fundraiser will start at 9 a.m. Saturday in Riverfront Park.

The annual walk helps raise money for heart research, life-saving education programs and health care advocacy.

Individual walkers or teams raise donations through sponsorships. They start by signing up, at no cost, through the Heart Association website, spokaneheartwalk.org.

The course starts at the Clocktower and offers both a three-mile and a one-mile walk. Walkers start at 10 a.m. and follow the Centennial Trail.

Last year’s event raised $130,000. This year’s goal is $170,000, said Heart Association spokeswoman Krista Wood.

More crews head to Satus Pass fire

GOLDENDALE, Wash. – Fire officials say more firefighters are joining the more than 550 already battling a wildfire in the tinder-dry forests near Satus Pass.

Fire incident spokesman Dale Warriner said the fire is holding at about 4,200 acres with crews containing about 20 percent of it.

The blaze has burned 64 buildings, including nine homes. Seventy-five homes have been evacuated.

The fire started Wednesday along U.S. Highway 97. The highway was reopened Saturday.

Tattoo removal OK’d before prison

EVERETT – An Everett man sentenced to more than seven years in prison for a deadly 2010 robbery has been allowed two weeks free to remove his gang tattoos.

A judge on Thursday allowed 32-year-old Derek Boyd to remain free while he undergoes laser treatment to remove gang tattoos. Boyd said he doesn’t want to go to prison with gang-affiliated marks on his skin.

Prosecutors say Boyd drove two other men to the apartment of Alonzo Lopez-Gonzales, where they killed the man. Boyd pleaded guilty this year.