Briefly
Senior center, house emptied by smoke
Coeur d’Alene firefighters responded to two small fires that prompted evacuations Thursday – one at a senior center – but caused no major damage.
At 10 a.m. Thursday, Meals on Wheels coordinator Vickie Harrison cranked up a seldom-used heating unit at the Lake City Senior Center, 1916 N. Lakewood Drive, and the ceiling- mounted unit flashed with smoke and flame, she said Friday. The unit’s damper kicked in and smothered the flames, but enough smoke was filling the building that Harrison and others began an evacuation.
“There were about 25 people, 18 line dancers and two pool players” and staff, Harrison said. “Thank goodness it was not on a day when we had a full crowd for lunch. The line dance ladies were great. They picked up their stuff and walked right out.”
About a half-dozen fire trucks and an ambulance were quickly on the scene, Harrison said. Damage was minor. The fire was ruled to be mechanically caused.
At 11:40 a.m., firefighters were called to a house in the 2000 block of Front Avenue, where a fireball erupted in an oven when a resident opened it. Several families lived in apartments in the large rental house. All residents were evacuated and kept warm in city cars and trucks as firefighters cleared the house of smoke.
Damage was described as minimal and confined to the kitchen, fire officials said.
Selkirk alliance may suspend lawsuit
A North Idaho conservation group is considering whether it will suspend a lawsuit challenging the management of state forests to discuss the issue with the Idaho State Land Board.
“Supposedly the Land Board wants to negotiate with us,” said Joanne Hirabayashi, chairwoman of the Selkirk Conservation Alliance board.
The alliance and the Idaho Conservation League filed suit in August against the Idaho Department of Lands, challenging management practices on endowment lands near Priest Lake, where old-growth timber was being felled. Revenues generated by logging, grazing and other fees are funneled to state institutions such as schools.
The groups argued the forests should be managed more in line with the long-term goals of the federal Endangered Species Act instead of short-term timber market considerations.
Some state officials, business interests and legislators feared the suit would expand to all state endowment lands, and formed a coalition of various industries in opposition.
On Friday, the leader of the coalition, state Sen. Skip Brandt, R-Kooskia, prematurely declared a victory and erroneously said the lawsuit had been withdrawn.
“We applaud the sudden common sense of these so-called environmentalists. I can’t help but think the threat of the coalition intervening played a role in their enlightenment,” Brandt wrote in a three-page fax.
Hockey, ice skating available at arena
Area ice sports enthusiasts can participate in adult and youth hockey and ice skating at the new Kootenai Youth Recreation Organization Ice Arena at 3219 Seltice Way, between Coeur d’Alene and Huetter (formerly Go Kart Family Fun Center).
According to a press release, the facility has a heated indoor rink and offers public skate sessions for $3 on from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Skate rental costs $2. The arena offers private party and group rentals, and ice skating and hockey classes will begin in January. For information, call (208) 765-4423 or go to www.kyro.org.
Warehouse fire tab put at $1.5 million
A fire that burned a Spokane Valley warehouse on Thanksgiving caused more than $1.5 million in damage.
Three businesses were destroyed in the fire, which burned a warehouse in the 2200 block of North Locust Road. The fire was discovered just after midnight Nov. 25.
The warehouse had three businesses: Brett Bros. Bat Co., Crystal Springs LLC and Safety Kleen Systems Inc.
Officials determined the fire was an accident, according to a press release from the Spokane Valley Fire Department. A bathroom fan had been left on and failed, according to the press release.