Fire Destroys Long Lake Home

A pre-dawn fire Sunday destroyed a 90-year-old house on the western shore of Lake Spokane.

Firefighters said treacherous driving conditions slowed their response to N23402 West Lake Road, which is about 10 miles northwest of Nine Mile Dam.

A neighbor reported the fire at 4:10 a.m., and the house was beyond saving when crews arrived 17 minutes later.

“Heavy fog and icy roads, that’s a bad combination,” said Skip Wells, deputy chief of Fire District 9.

In addition, he said, several miles of road between the house and Nine Mile Dam are unpaved.

“We’re talking way out in the sticks,” Wells said.

The homeowner, whom Wells identified as Leo LeMay, was out of town. No one was injured.

The two-bedroom house was built at Fort George Wright in 1905. It was moved to the remote lot on Lake Spokane in 1937, Wells said.

A damage estimate was not available. In addition to destroying the house, the fire damaged two pickups, a camper, a fifth-wheel travel-trailer and a shed, Wells said.

“The crews kept it from spreading to adjacent property,” Wells said.

Investigators had not determined the cause of the fire, Wells said, but arson was not suspected.