Fire damages vacant North Side home

A small home in north Spokane was significantly damaged by fire Wednesday evening. Firefighters were called to 2717 N. Altamont St. about 7:20 p.m. and found a large plume of smoke and flames shooting from back windows. No one was home at the time and only a couple couches were inside, said Spokane Fire Lt. Darin Neiwert. There were no injuries fighting the fire. The home, which was built in 1914, is owned by James A. Ray of Mead, according to property records. Neiwert said the kitchen and back of the house suffered the most damage. Mindy Dassow, who said she lived in the house until a few weeks ago, said she had a yearlong lease for the house but moved out early after an electrical inspection showed faulty systems. She said she paid for the inspection because of a small electrical fire in the home that occurred about a month ago. Firefighters were investigating the cause of the fire late Wednesday. Seventeen firefighters responded to the scene.