None injured in Valley apartment fire

Fire heavily damaged a Spokane Valley apartment building this morning, but all residents escaped injury. Crews were called to Meadow Wood apartments, 2121 N. Houk Road, around 4:30 a.m. The residents of the two apartments involved in the blaze were already out of the units when firefighters arrived, a news release from Spokane Valley Fire Capt. Pat Schaffer said. Fire crews evacuated the rest of the building and quickly knocked the fire down. They entered the building and extinguished “numerous ‘hot spots’ discovered in the attic and walls,” Schaffer said. The cause of the fire was under investigation, but it appeared to have started on the ground floor and spread to a balcony and then the attic, Schaffer said. Pat Kondas, a volunteer for the American Red Cross Inland Northwest Chapter, said one family whose unit was damaged will stay with relatives. Residents of the other unit were away at the time of the blaze, but the Red Cross will assist them when they’re located, Kondas said. There were no injuries and all pets were accounted for. Firefighters estimated the damage at $30,000.