Garage Destroyed, Kitchen Damaged In Separate Fires

In separate fires Wednesday night, a north Spokane garage was destroyed and a Four Lakes duplex was charred after a resident tried thawing frozen pipes with a heating gun.

Flames scorched part of the kitchen floor and a wall before firefighters doused them about 7:15 p.m. No one was home when the fire started.

James Hoisington, who lives in the duplex at 13217 W. First, said he had been trying to thaw the pipes for about 30 minutes. He was using a heating gun, which is similar to a hair dryer, but blows hotter, more concentrated air.

Frustrated that the pipes weren’t thawing, Hoisington went to the hardware store about 6:15 p.m. to get tools to help speed up the process. He returned to find firefighters in action.

Neighbors heard Hoisington’s smoke detector going off and called the fire department.

Fire also destroyed an attached garage at 3715 N. Gordon Ct. about 5:30 p.m. The exterior of the house was also damaged.

The owner left his car running in the garage. The engine caught fire and flames quickly spread, said Spokane Fire Battalion Chief Dick Schuerman. , DataTimes