Morning Fire Destroys Apartment House

Spokane firefighters searched a burning apartment house Sunday, thinking someone was inside, but found no one.

The two-story house at 1430 W. Mission was destroyed, leaving residents of three apartments without homes and firefighters without answers.

Dispatchers received the fire call at 6:41 a.m. Sunday, battalion chief Dan Brown said.

The fire started in the basement, then spread throughout the building, weakening the main floor almost to the point of collapse as rescuers combed the place.

Finding no one, fire crews left as the building began to crumble around them. They battled the blaze from the outside, making sure flames didn’t spread to other houses.

After about an hour, the fire was under control. A house just 15 feet from the apartments was not damaged.

But one firefighter suffered a minor back injury, while another suffered a broken or jammed thumb. Both were treated at a local hospital and released.

Brown said he doesn’t know how the blaze began, but investigators will go through the rubble today after a demolition crew tears down what still is standing.

Despite destruction of the building, Brown said, things went well: No one was trapped as firefighters had feared, and no flames jumped next door.

“It’s ugly to look at - but an excellent result.” , DataTimes