Blaze damages South Hill house
Nobody inside century-old home
Flames blazed through the roof of a South Hill home Saturday afternoon, sending thick smoke through the Cliff-Cannon neighborhood.
Firefighters responded around 2:45 p.m. as the fire burned through the second floor and attic at 1227 W. Sixth Ave.
The house was vacant at the time of the fire. The homeowner bought the house a 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.
Firefighters planned to watch the house for hot spots overnight, Williams added.
Travis Pell, a neighbor, said he smelled natural gas before the fire was reported. He was going door-to-door telling people to evacuate when a woman started yelling and pointing at the corner house on fire.
Firefighters believe the gas smell came from a building next to the burning home, and Avista crews shut off the gas to that house. It was not known if the two incidents were related.
The home was built in 1906, according to the Spokane County Assessor’s Office website.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.