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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fire blazes through roof of South Hill home

Spokane firefighters work to contain a blaze on a home at the corner of Adams Street and Sixth Avenue, May 4, 2013 in Spokane, Wash. (Dan Pelle / The Spokesman-Review)
Flames blazed through the roof of a Lower South Hill home this afternoon, and smoke spread throughout the area. Firefighters responded to the home at Sixth Avenue and Adams street around 2:45 p.m. Winds blew heavy smoke southwest into the neighborhood as the fire burned through the second floor and attic at 1227 W. 6th Ave. The house was vacant at the time of the fire. The homeowner bought the house last month ago to convert it to a duplex, Spokane Fire Chief Bobby Williams said. Construction crews were working on the house until about 5 p.m. Friday, he said. Fire crews will be monitoring the house all night, Williams added. Travis Pell, a neighbor, said he smelled natural gas before the fire was reported. He went door-to-door telling people to get out when a woman started yelling and pointing at the corner house which was on fire. “This thing is going out of control and there’s no one here to stop it,” Pell said of the fire. Firefighters believe the smell came from a building next to the burning home and Avista crews shut off the gas to that house. It’s not known if the two incidents are related. The home was built in 1906, according to Spokane County Assessor’s Office website. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Video by Nicole Hensley, S-R