Space heater source of basement fire in Millwood

Heat sources and flammable items don’t mix, as two homeowners only blocks apart discovered on the same day this week.

A space heater mounted in a wall started a fire in the basement of a home in the 3000 block of North Marguerite Road on Monday. “They just placed combustibles too close to the heater and they caught fire,” said Spokane Valley Fire Department Assistant Fire Marshal Bill Clifford.

A neighbor was out getting his mail when he heard a smoke alarm sounding and spotted smoke coming from the home, Clifford said. No one was at home when the fire began.

An overloaded wood stove in a detached garage caught some flammable items on fire in the 3900 block of North Marguerite Road later that day. The fire caused about $5,000 in damage.

Perhaps the most spectacular fire of the week was a trailer fire along I-90 just west of the Idaho State line on Jan. 12. The trailer was hauling three snowmobiles. The fire investigator was unable to determine the cause, Clifford said. “It completely burned to the ground,” he said. “That type of trailer does have a propane heater on the inside. There’s just so much damage done to the trailer he can’t pin it on that.”

Other calls from Jan. 9-15.

Jan. 10: Crews were called to the Spokane River east of Argonne Road on the report of a body in the river. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office dive team took over from fire crews and recovered the still unidentified woman’s body.

Jan. 11: A tree in a power line was reported in the 6300 block of East Mallon Avenue. There was a water line break in the 12900 block of East Sanson Lane.

Jan. 12: A transformer fire was reported in the 12500 block of East Third Avenue.

By the numbers: Crews responded to 261 calls during the week; 213 of them were for emergency medical services. Other calls included four illegal outside fires, 11 car accidents and a child locked inside a vehicle.