Fire crews battle Sunday blaze for five hours

The cause of an early morning fire appears suspicious and remains under investigation after the Spokane Fire Department responded to a fire in an unoccupied home on East Sprague. Crews responded at 3:40 a.m. today to reports of a fire at 2623 E. Sprague Ave., Battalion Chief Steve Sabo said in a news release. First arriving firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from the one-story brick and wood-frame home. While some crews forced their way into the home to attack the “rapidly advancing fire” fire on the west exterior of the building, others searched the home and discovered it unoccupied, Sabo said. It took crews five hours to finish at the scene. The fire in the house, which has had multiple additions added to it over time, caused about $40,000 worth of fire, smoke and water damage, Sabo said. The cause appears suspicious because the house was unoccupied and investigators determined that the origin of the fire was on the home’s exterior, Sabo said.