Wooden cutting board in oven catches fire

Residents in the 6500 block of East Fourth Avenue learned the hard way on Feb. 14 that it’s generally not a good idea to store flammable items in the oven.

A wooden cutting board was being kept inside the oven and it caught fire when the oven was turned on, said Spokane Valley Fire Department Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford. The fire was confined to the oven.

A more unusual call was received in the 10400 block of East Ninth Avenue on Feb. 13. Someone was unable to remove a ring from a swollen finger. Firefighters were unable to remove the ring, Clifford said.

Other calls from Feb. 13-19

Feb. 16: Crews responded to the city of Spokane to assist with a fire at the Carlisle Apartments at 206 N. Post St.

Feb. 17: A resident in the 8400 block of East Mansfield Avenue was returning home at 1:30 a.m. and found a bush in his front yard on fire and several juveniles running away.

Feb. 18: A compressor fire was reported at 3401 N. Tschirley Road. Firefighters assisted Fire District 8 crews with a fire in the Ponderosa neighborhood.

By the numbers: Firefighters responded to 259 calls, including 207 emergency medical services calls. Other calls included downed power lines, a chimney fire and 15 car accidents.