Spokane Valley fire roundup: Power pole fire caused problems in Spokane Valley
It’s not unusual for the Spokane Valley Fire Department to get a call regarding a downed power line, but what they found on a recent call was a bit unusual.
Crews were called to the area of 19500 East Pheasant Drive just before 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 and found a power pole on fire. The flames had burned a hole in the pole near the high voltage line anchor points, said fire department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.
Firefighters moved people out of the area to wait for an Avista repair crew to arrive. “While we were waiting the anchor point failed and the line fell on a lower line, causing a transformer on the next pole to arc,” Rose said.
The pole and line were safely repaired.
Other calls
from Sept. 18-24
Sept. 18: A barn fire was reported in the 26700 block of East Wellesley Avenue. The barn was about 75 feet by 85 feet and it’s estimated that 80 percent of the building was damaged or destroyed. The building was too unstable for an investigator to enter; the cause of the fire is unknown. None of the chickens, goats, sheep, turkeys or rabbits at the scene were injured.
Crews responded to a fatal accident involving a car and a logging truck on Trent Avenue at Williams Road. The woman had to be extricated from her vehicle.
Sept. 21: A fire and alarm were reported at the old Pratt Elementary School at 7100 E. Fourth Avenue. Crews entered the building and found no evidence of fire or smoke, but an alarm was sounding.
Sept. 22: Firefighters at Station 10 in Greenacres were dispatched to a medical call at their own station. When they opened the garage door they spotted an off-duty co-worker drive up with his wife in the back seat. She had given birth in the car about a minute earlier. Mother and baby are doing well.
Sept. 23: An illegal trash fire was reported in the 1900 block of North Vista Road. The homeowner said she was burning pizza boxes and lavender from her garden.
Sept. 24: A kitchen fire was reported at Denny’s at 202 N. Argonne Road. The manager had put out the fire with a fire extinguisher before crews arrived.
A man was reported to be in the Spokane River near Stateline, clutching a radio controlled boat and calling for help. He managed to make it to shore before crews arrived. He was given medical attention.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 308 calls from Sept. 18-24, including 248 calls for emergency medical services. The responses included 15 car crashes, a 4-year-old locked inside a vehicle and a cat that needed to be rescued from a rock wall in the 13400 block of East Mission Avenue.