Fire roundup: Crews respond to fire in same dumpster, different day
Cooking, rubbish and holiday decoration fires have kept the Spokane Valley Fire Department crews busy during the first week of 2018.
On New Year’s Day around 11:20 a.m., an off-duty firefighter was driving along the 11300 block of East Montgomery Drive and spotted a rubbish fire in a dumpster outside a building.
The firefighter responded to a call at the same location on the evening of Dec. 31 regarding a dumpster fire. He observed a young man, with a blue hooded sweatshirt and red backpack running away from the scene. The person who started the fire had piled up more garbage and restarted it. Crews arrived on scene and extinguished the fire.
“It’s an ongoing issue that we’re having with a particular individual that’s been lighting fires in this dumpster for awhile,” said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose. “Investigators are working on this with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department. Rose said anyone with information about the individual is asked to call the fire department at (509) 928-1700.
On Jan. 2., crews responded to an apartment building fire around 5:45 p.m. at the 15400 block of East Fourth Avenue. Upon arrival, crews noticed a first-floor patio that caught fire, but was extinguished. Crews checked the apartment and observed a large amount of smoke inside the building. When investigators arrived, they observed the patio’s exterior siding was melted and an outdoor wicker patio furniture set was moved from the patio to the grass. Investigators discovered an extension cord along with remnants of large Christmas ornaments on the patio furniture that the resident said he placed on the wicker couch.
The cause of the fire was determined to be failure of the extension cord.
The fire department responded to a cooking fire on Jan. 3 in the 9500 block of East Forest Avenue around 10 p.m. The apartment occupant forgot there was a bowl of grease in the oven. Another resident unplugged the oven and moved it to the front porch. Crews used an extinguisher to put out the fire.
Other calls Jan.1-7
Jan 1: At 10 a.m., crews responded to a house on the 17400 block of East Fourth Avenue. The resident was locked in a room inside the house and unable to get out. Crews obtained entry through an unlocked front door and used tools to get the individual out of the room. He was happy to be out, the report said.
Jan. 3: At about 5:45 a.m., the department responded to a call from the 700 block of North Moore Road where they observed a slight glow coming from an old outdoor shed. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Department arrived on scene and made contact with a man, who said he started a warming fire in the shed, which wasn’t on his property. He was told to leave because he was trespassing and crews extinguished the fire.
Jan. 3: At about 5:45 p.m., crews responded to a two-car collision on the 15100 block of East Trent Avenue near Progress Road. Both drivers were traveling at moderate speed when the collision occurred involving a 20-year-old male driver and a minivan with a mother and two children, ages 4 years and 18 months. All individuals were wearing seatbelts. The driver suffered a cut on his forehead, but repeatedly refused medical treatment. As crews attempted to get the man transported to the hospital, Washington State Patrol stepped up to evaluate him. Crews noticed numerous containers of alcohol along with marijuana in the vehicle. WSP conducted a field sobriety test and placed him under arrest for suspicion of driving under the influence. The woman and her children were not injured and refused medical treatment.
Jan 5: At 4:15 a.m., the department responded to a call at the 4900 block of North Progress Road. A fire alarm had gone off at an elementary school. Crews walked around, looked in the doors and saw smoke in the north side hallway. They forced entry into the school and discovered a wall heater in the hallway that caught fire and caused a breaker to trip. Crews ensured the fire was extinguished and helped air out the building.
Jan. 7: At 1:15 p.m., crews responded to a motor vehicle/pedestrian accident at the 9000 block of East Sprague Avenue in the WinCo parking lot. A 51-year-old woman twisted her ankle attempting to get out of the way of an oncoming vehicle. Crews treated her for nonlife-threatening injuries and transported her to the hospital.
By the numbers: For the week of Jan. 17, crews responded to 367 total calls including 12 fire-related calls, 12 alarm system response calls, 320 calls for emergency medical services, four hazardous material response calls, 15 motor vehicle accidents and four service-related calls.