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

Cigarette in porch pot blamed for house fire

The cause of a fire that heavily damaged a Spokane Valley home earlier this week has been traced to a cigarette discarded in a potted plant on the front porch, said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.

A neighbor spotted the fire at 12117 E. 10th Ave. just after 6 a.m. Sept. 20 and ran across the street to alert the resident, who managed to escape with two dogs.

The fire started on the porch next to the front door but soon spread to the inside, Rose said. “It spread into the nearest room by the front door,” she said. “There was quite a lot of smoke.”

Potting soil is different from dirt and is flammable. Several fires a year are started in the Spokane Valley area by someone trying to put out a cigarette in a potted plant.

Damage to the residence is estimated at $60,000. The home had no working smoke detectors, Rose said.

Other calls from Sept. 7-20

Sept. 11: A homeowner digging in their yard hit a gas line with a shovel in the 13800 block of East 42nd Avenue. Residents were evacuated and Avista was called to repair the line.

Sept. 12: A vehicle fire was reported outside Poppy’s Tavern at 415 S. Dishman Mica Road. A man reportedly tried to start his pickup by pouring gasoline into the carburetor to prime it. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading to the nearby building.

Sept. 16: A small brush fire was reported along the westbound lanes of I-90 near Sullivan. The fire was out when crews arrived.

Sept. 19: Someone at the Trailhead Golf Course reported seeing two people trying to start a fire on the hill above the course. Firefighters contacted two teenagers, who admitted trying to start a camp fire. The area was checked and their parents were called to pick them up.

Sept. 20: A backyard fire was reported in the 1700 block of North Forest Ridge Street. The residents said they believed the burn ban had been lifted and put out their fire when told it had not been. People were reported in the Spokane River after a kayak overturned near the Harvard Road bridge. The people were able to get themselves out of the water and crews were canceled while en route. A brush fire was reported in the 200 block of South Idaho Road. Crews determined that the reported fire was actually a street light.

By the numbers: Firefighters responded to 579 calls in the two weeks from Sept. 7-20, including 461 emergency medical services calls. Other responses included four brush fires, 45 car accidents, two children locked inside cars and a burning smell that turned out to be dust in a recently activated furnace.