Smoker refueling mower starts fire

A woman putting gas in her lawn mower while smoking a cigarette Tuesday afternoon caused a blaze that destroyed a barn in a residential area of Spokane Valley, fire officials said.

The woman suffered first- and second-degree burns to her feet and part of one leg, fire officials said. Paramedics found the mid-30s woman in her house when they arrived, and she was taken to a hospital.

While she was fueling the lawn mower some of the gas leaked on the barn floor and then she apparently dropped her cigarette, said Cooper Kennett, a battalion chief at Spokane Valley Fire Department. She threw the gas can after the fire started, causing it to spread.

It’s not safe to have lit cigarettes around gasoline, Kennett said.

Neighbors realized the 24-by-40-foot barn behind the woman’s home was on fire about 3:30 p.m.

“I saw two black clouds and thought, that’s not right; then I heard an explosion,” said Mark Wilcox, who lives to the south of the barn. He was one of several neighbors to call 911.

“It went fast,” Wilcox said of the barn.

Neighbors used garden hoses to protect their homes and help put out the afternoon blaze.

A pile of charred wood was all that remained of the barn, which in previous years housed pigeons and stored a boat. Officials said it didn’t appear any animals currently lived in the barn.

“I think the only thing she had back there was a lawn mower,” said Elmer Niehenke, a neighbor who lives across the street.

More than 26 firefighters responded, said Deputy Chief Dave Lobdell. No additional buildings caught fire.