Spokane Valley firefighters knock down ‘stubborn’ blaze at lumber yard

Floating sawdust complicated efforts to douse a fire that damaged two structures at a lumber yard Sunday afternoon, according to the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

Firefighters were called at about 2:30 p.m. to Premier Lumber at 25170 Kildea Road, the department said in a news release. Seeing a column of smoke upon arrival, they immediately sounded a second alarm.

The two structures were connected with a metal chute that played a role in the facility’s wood processing operation.

One of the blazes was quickly put out, but the other was “stubborn,” the news release said. Layers of sawdust coated a metal hopper and reignited each time they were knocked loose, it said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and no injuries were reported.