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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Two severely injured in CdA apartment fire; six kids treated

The aftermath of fire damage to an apartment complex on the 4200 block of Crown Avenue in Coeur d’Alene is seen on Friday. (Kathy Plonka)
From Staff Reports

A man and woman were transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after suffering burns and smoke inhalation in an early morning apartment fire in Coeur d’Alene that sent eight people, including six children, to the hospital.

The children were all treated and released from Kootenai Health, but the man and woman, 28 and 29 years old respectively, were more severely injured, police said. Police believe they lived in the same apartment.

The city’s police and fire departments responded to the fire on the 4200 block of Crown Avenue around 5:50 a.m. The fire started when a log rolled out of a fireplace and ignited the carpet and furniture.

Firefighters rescued and evacuated 12 people and two dogs from four apartments, a news release from the police department said.

“I came away with my life, and so did everyone else,” said Meaghann Pritchard, a tenant in the building.

Pritchard was at her boyfriend’s house when the fire broke out. When she checked her phone around 7 a.m. Friday, she found a series of frantic voicemails from her neighbor: “The apartment’s on fire. Are you OK? Where are you?”

The neighbor told her that barking dogs alerted the tenants to the smoke.

Pritchard, who is studying psychology at North Idaho College with the goal of becoming a counselor, has midterms Monday and Tuesday.

“My schoolbooks are in there,” she said, gesturing to the blackened building.

Kootenai Fire, as well as the Northern Lakes and Mica fire departments, also responded to the fire. A nearby apartment building was evacuated as a precautionary measure as flames engulfed the fourplex.

The Red Cross is assisting the people displaced from their homes.