Briefly

Man shot after fight

A man was shot in the groin after getting into a fight in downtown Spokane on Sunday.

The man told police he shot himself, but officers didn’t find a weapon and don’t believe the man’s story, according to the Spokane Police Department. The victim was taken to an area hospital, where he was in satisfactory condition Sunday, police said.

Witnesses told police the victim and another man got into a fight on the street near Second Avenue and Adams Street. One shot was fired just after midnight Sunday, according to police.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Check at 456-2233.

Fire damages complex

A barbecue started a north Spokane apartment fire that damaged six units Saturday night, according to the Spokane Fire Department.

A balcony at Cedar Creek apartments, 8424 N. Nevada St., caught fire about 9:50 p.m. Saturday. The fire spread from one balcony to the next, badly damaging two of the units, Spokane Fire Department Battalion Chief Ken Kirsch said in a news release.

The 34 firefighters that responded were able to keep the fire from extending beyond the six units, Kirsch said.

The barbecue started the fire by setting nearby combustibles ablaze, said Spokane Fire Department Lt. Mike Zambryski. The fire then went up the exterior of the building, Zambryski said. There’s a rule at the apartment complex forbidding tenants from using charcoal barbecues because of the fire danger, he said.