Bay door of Browne’s Addition fire station damaged while firefighters responded to house fire in West Central

A bay door at Spokane Fire Station 4 in Browne’s Addition was damaged Tuesday morning when a fire truck crashed into it while responding to a fire.

Brian Schaeffer, fire chief of the Spokane Fire Department, said the ladder truck was attempting to leave for a house fire in West Central when the door apparently malfunctioned and didn’t open wide enough. He said the doors usually open fully as vehicles are leaving the station.

“For some reason, the door wasn’t opened completely before they started moving forward,” he said. “Something malfunctioned.”

Schaeffer said the extent of the damage to the door was yet to be determined. He said members of the departments logistics team were inspecting the doors Tuesday morning. The truck is also being evaluated, but is likely less damaged.

The house firefighters were responding to is a two-story, single-family home at 1811 W. Shannon Ave. in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood. Neighbors called in to report a fire billowing out of the second story of the home at around 8:30 a.m. When firefighters arrived, they said the home was unoccupied.

Mark John, deputy chief of the Spokane Fire Department, said crews were able to quickly suppress the blaze within minutes of arriving. The cause of the fire is under investigation.