Firefighters deal with auto crashes, garage, deck fires

Despite the drop in temperatures and recent snowy weather, the Spokane Valley Fire Department had a relatively calm week.

Firefighters responded to 18 motor vehicle crashes between Nov. 22 and Tuesday, but only three resulted in someone being taken to the hospital, said David Lobdell, an assistant fire chief. Most of the crashes occurred Sunday and Monday after snowy weather hit the area.

The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to five fires during the same period, Lobdell said. A blaze on Sunday destroyed a garage. Firefighters arrived about 9:40 p.m. at 1422 N. Lily Road to find the detached garage fully engulfed in flames.

“While the garage was a complete loss, our crew did a great job protecting the neighboring house and the power lines right next to it,” Lobdell said. “If the fire had burned the pole and knocked down the power lines, a pretty significant area would have been without power.”

The cause of the garage fire remains under investigation.

About 1:40 a.m. on Monday firefighters responded to a house fire at 10822 E. Fairview Ave., Lobdell said. The blaze destroyed a deck, part of a kitchen and caused smoke damage throughout parts of the home. The residents of the home were not hurt.

Hot ashes placed in a plastic container on the home’s deck were blamed for the blaze.

What often happens is people will clean out their fireplace, wood or pellet stove, and they think the ashes are cold, but the wind picks up and one ember gets going, Lobdell said.

The three other fires involved a couple of malfunctioning light ballasts, a car’s engine compartment and an unattended campfire near Spokane Valley Mall, Lobdell said.

The assistant fire chief described the vehicle crashes and fires as just a small taste of what’s to come. “Our two busy times are usually when the first part of a (big) storm rolls through and when temperatures hit at or below zero.”

Spokane Fire Department’s calls also included 106 emergency medical service calls, six false alarms, three children locked in cars, two illegal burns and a hazardous materials spill involving five gallons of gas.