Cooler weather brings problems
Cooler weather brought fires with it as people’s attempts to keep warm caused problems.
The Spokane Valley Fire Department was called to a reported garage fire at 26618 E. Nebraska Ave. around 11 p.m. Nov. 7. The metal sided detached garage/shop was on fire when crews arrived, said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.
The homeowner had put a dry sauna in the building and attached it to a fireplace, Rose said. He had been burning wood in the fireplace all day in attempt to heat up the sauna, which caused a fire. The building was a total loss, Rose said.
A fire was reported in the 4900 block of North Lucille Road on Nov. 4. The homeowner had lit a fire in the fireplace without opening the flue, which caused smoke to build up in the house.
Other calls
from Nov. 2-15
Nov. 2: The manager of a store in the Spokane Valley Mall called for help when his keys wouldn’t work and he was locked inside. Crews could not raise the gate and had to break the lock to get him out.
Nov. 3: A fire was reported in a vacant apartment in the 900 block of South Pines Road just after 6 a.m. A couch was on fire.
Nov. 5: Burned food caused a small fire in an apartment in the 11900 block of East Broadway Avenue. A dryer fire was reported in the 15800 block of East Fourth Avenue.
Nov. 6: A car hit a tree in the 6700 block of East Upriver Drive just before 3 p.m. The driver is believed to have had a medical problem.
Nov. 8: A homeowner was illegally burning yard debris in the 200 block of North Legacy Ridge Drive.
Nov. 11: A bicyclist was injured when a car ran over his foot in the 300 block of South Pines Road. A woman in the drive-thru of the McDonald’s at 10516 E. Sprague suffered a medical condition and her car hit a tree and a woman with two children. No one was seriously injured.
Nov. 13: A fatal accident was reported on Indiana Avenue just west of Evergreen Road.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 553 calls from Nov. 2-15, including 424 calls for emergency medical services. Responses include 42 car crashes, a reported fire that turned out to be a legal recreational fire and two toddlers locked inside vehicles.