Fireworks Cause $50,000 Damage

Thu., July 9, 1998

By Pat Sciuchetti pats@spokesman.com

A 57-year-old Veradale woman watched her cedar-shake roof go up in flames after aerial fireworks ignited it Monday afternoon.

Two neighborhood boys, both 17, are suspected of causing the blaze, fire officials said. It caused an estimated $50,000 in damage.

“The whole kitchen ceiling is gone,” said the dazed victim, who spent Tuesday removing her possessions and talking to building contractors.

The fire, she said, will force her to leave her home of 18 years and move into an apartment for three to four months. It reignited several times Monday and Tuesday, forcing firefighters to return and pour on more water. The blaze marred an otherwise quiet holiday weekend for Valley firefighters. There were no other significant fireworks-related fires, said Eric Olson, fire inspector.

The victim, who didn’t want her name used, wasn’t home when the blaze started. She returned from doing errands just after 1 p.m. Monday and saw the smoke. She and a neighbor called 911 and tried to use a garden hose to put it out. But the roof was too high and the water pressure too low.

Firefighters extinguished the original fire in about 20 minutes. Olson scooped up a handful of bottle rockets and other devices from the yard and learned from neighbors that the two 17-year-old boys had been shooting them off for several days.

It did not appear that anyone had reported the illegal activity, Olson said. Fireworks are banned in Spokane County and anyone caught possessing or igniting them could face a $250 fine.

The fire was unusual, Olson said, because fireworks rarely ignite roofs, even cedar-shake roofs. The conditions have to be just right. The fire wouldn’t have started on a composite roof, he said.

A second home on the street also was hit by fireworks, the victim said. Something landed on its shake roof, but it didn’t ignite.

The victim was able to save most of her possessions, except those damaged by water and falling debris in the kitchen and dining room areas.

The fire investigation continued Tuesday. As of then, no charges had been filed against the suspects.

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