Man and dogs unharmed in fire sparked by dryer
A man and several dogs escaped unharmed from a mobile home fire that was fueled by lint and dog hair in a dryer.
The fire in the 7300 block of North Moose Lane was reported shortly before noon March 2. A man was asleep in the back bedroom of the mobile home and didn’t hear the smoke alarms sounding, said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokesman Melanie Rose.
The man’s son arrived home and rescued his father, Rose said. Several dogs were also able to get out.
Investigators determined the dryer had a mechanical malfunction, but lint and dog hair inside the dryer contributed to the fire, Rose said.
Residents should regularly clean the lint out of the dryer and inside the hoses, Rose said.
Other calls from
Feb. 29 to March 6
Feb. 29: Crews had to extricate two people from a car that had rammed the back end of a Department of Transportation truck on I-90 near the Sullivan exit. Their injuries were not life threatening. An emergency room doctor from Polson, Montana, was driving by and stopped to help the injured before firefighters arrived.
March 1: Firefighters responded to eight arson fires in the area from Sprague Avenue to Mission Avenue between University and Evergreen roads. The fires are still under investigation. Anyone who saw anything suspicious or has surveillance video is asked to contact the department at (509) 928-1700.
March 2: A possible gas line break was reported in the 6500 block of East Sprague Avenue. Firefighters found a damaged natural gas line near a meter, but the gas had been turned off due to a construction project.
March 4: A resident in the 1100 block of East Third Avenue approached firefighters on another call in the area just before 7 a.m. and reported she had broken off a key in the lock of the club attached to her car’s steering wheel. Firefighters were able to remove the club with bolt cutters.
March 6: An RV fire was reported in the 12400 block of East 27th Avenue just before 3 a.m. The residents said they heard a knock on the door and when they answered it, they noticed their RV was on fire. The owners told firefighters no one had been inside for weeks and it was not plugged in to electricity.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 308 calls from Feb. 29 to March 6, including 249 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses includes several illegal outdoor yard waste fires, a vehicle fire that turned out to be an overheated truck, 19 car accidents and an electric scooter user who ran out of battery power.