Firefighters douse duplex fire in Spokane Valley

Firefighters quickly doused a second-floor blaze at a Spokane Valley duplex this morning. Residents of the ground-floor apartment at 10309 E. Ninth Ave. got out of the house without injury. Firefighters initially thought a resident of the second-floor unit was in the house, but he was located elsewhere, they said. Workers at the Sunshine Gardens health facility nearby said the resident was a patient, and that they would be able to provide him a room while the damage is repaired. The fire was mainly confined to a chimney area at the back of the house, where exterior walls were charred. A cause hasn’t been identified, but investigators were examining the scene Friday morning, Spokane Valley Firefighters said. Fire Capt. Jeff Bordwell said “moderate to heavy” damage was mainly confined to one room. The home is located at the corner of Ninth Avenue and Felts Street, near the old University High School.