RV fire spotted by crew heading to house fire

A couple were able to escape from their burning home at 4111 S. Conifer Court just after 6 a.m. on Sept. 30 after being alerted by their smoke detectors.

The fire began on the back side of the home and quickly spread to the basement and the attic. The house is a total loss, said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.

The cause is still under investigation.

One crew on their way to the house fire spotted flames coming out the top vent of an RV parked in the 1100 block of South University Road. The fire was quickly put out. The RV’s owner said he had turned on the RV’s refrigerator that morning after his home lost power in a power outage.

Other calls from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4.

Sept. 28: Crews assisted another fire department with an attic fire in the 5800 block of East 25th Avenue. A four-car minor injury crash was reported on westbound I-90 near Liberty Lake at 7:35 a.m. About 25 minutes later a three-car crash was reported on eastbound I-90 in the same area.

Sept. 29: Diesel fuel leaking from a parked dump truck was reported in the 21900 block of East Mullen Lane. The Department of Ecology was called to handle the contaminated soil. An estimated 25 to 30 gallons spilled.

Sept. 30: A car crashed into a power pole in the 10900 block of East 16th Avenue, which caused a large power outage. Crews reported at least one dangling high tension power line, but it did not hit the ground. A chimney fire was reported at Pyrotek in the Spokane Valley Industrial Park on Sullivan Road. Crews attempted to put the fire out with dry chemicals three times before they were successful. Employees said the chimney would be replaced before production resumed.

Oct. 1: A small brush fire was reported alongside eastbound I-90 near the Barker exit.

Oct. 2: Crews responded to an illegal backyard fire in the 10000 block of East Ninth Avenue. The residents were using approved fuel in a fire pit and had a garden hose nearby as they made smores, but the burn ban is still in place. The residents agreed to put the fire out and the children received fire department stickers.

By the numbers: Crews responded to 330 calls from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, including 254 calls for emergency medical services. Responses included 22 car crashes, a broken water main and a 2-year-old locked inside a car.