Firefighters’ quick action saves mobile home

The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to 185 calls between Dec. 20 and Monday.

Firefighters were able to quickly douse a mobile home blaze Friday, said assistant chief Dave Lobdell. When crews arrived at 22220 E. Rowan Ave., flames were seen shooting from a window. The blaze was quickly knocked down. No one was home at the time of the fire. The damage was estimated at $3,000.

“When we can save most of a mobile home that’s good,” Lobdell said.

Friday’s blaze was just one of two fires crews responded to during the time period. The other one was a power pole cross arm that caught fire when a power line shorted out.

Firefighters responded to 18 vehicle crashes, half of which involved transporting patients to a hospital, Lobdell said.

On Dec. 21, there was a five-car crash at Indiana and Sullivan, near the entrance of the Spokane Valley Mall, Lobdell said. The 4:33 p.m. crash involved a chain reaction caused by one vehicle running into the back of another and so on. One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

One Dec. 22, a truck rear-ended a car and pushed it into a bus, Lobdell said. The car’s driver was taken to the hospital with neck and back pain.

Fire crews also responded to two single-vehicle rollovers, Lobdell said. One was at Interstate 90 and Appleway about 2 p.m. on Dec. 22. The other was on Sunday at Trent and Starr. One person was injured in each crash.

Spokane Valley’s calls also included 133 emergency medical calls and 14 alarm soundings with no fire, “which is higher than normal because some were set off by frozen pipes that were thawing out,” Lobdell said.