Fire Empties Apartments

Nine people were evacuated from a Spokane apartment house for nearly an hour Monday after a fire began in one unit.

No one was injured during the fire at 518 S. Elm, said Capt. Ken Wiedmer of the Spokane Fire Department. The cause of the blaze at the five-unit building is under investigation.

The residents of unit No. 2, Jenifer Crites and her baby, weren’t at home when the fire began about 9:12 p.m., Wiedmer said.

A neighbor called police after noticing smoke.

Firefighters doused the fire, which destroyed furniture in the apartment.

After nearly an hour, all the residents, except Crites and her baby, were allowed back into their apartments.

The Red Cross was called to provide housing for the woman and her baby, Wiedmer said.