Appliance fire adds to busy morning for Spokane Fire

An accidental appliance fire at a retirement community run by Catholic Charities in central Spokane stretched thin a harried Spokane Fire Department on Friday morning. When firefighters arrived at the four-story structure at 707 E. Mission Ave., several residents were standing on a third-floor balcony calling for help, said Spokane Fire Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer. The blaze was contained to a third-story apartment in the complex, but was threatening adjacent rooms, he said. A plastic laundry basket left on an electric stove top caused the fire, according to a news release from the Spokane Fire Department. Damages are estimated at around $5,000. Eight people - seven residents and one employee - were treated for smoke inhalation as a result of the fire, according to a news release. The fire was extinguished in about an hour. Department resources were split between the Mission fire, a rooftop rescue at a Purina Mills plant and a call of a cardiac arrest, also nearby, Schaeffer said.