Spokane Valley firefighters battle house fire with flames visible from over a half-mile away

Spokane Valley firefighters worked to extinguish a house fire early Thursday morning that had flames visible from more than a half-mile away.

Units responded to a report of a structure fire in the 12000 block of E. 12th Avenue at about 2 a.m., where they found a house fully engulfed, according to a fire department news release. The heavily-damaged structure was too dangerous for firefighters to enter.

The resident who lives in the house was sleeping outside at the time of the fire and was uninjured, the release states. Firefighters used hose lines to dampen the fire at the east side, but a downed power line prevented them from accessing the south and west sides.

Most of the fire was extinguished within 30 minutes, firefighters said, but the condition of the building hampered efforts to knock out isolated hot spots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.