3 fires knocked down in first days of 2005

Valley firefighters responded to three fires during the first days of 2005.

A heat lamp started a garage fire Monday morning.

The fire sent smoke throughout a ranch-style house in the 800 block of South Warren Road. Heavy white smoke was coming out of the eaves when firefighters arrived, said Clifton Mehaffey, an inspector for the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

The heat lamp was in a doghouse that was in the garage, Mehaffey said.

The homeowner has insurance, Mehaffey said.

On Jan. 1, firefighters went to a house in the 7000 block of East Ninth Avenue just after 1 a.m. A chimney heated and ignited some paper in a closet, Mehaffey said. The fire damaged the roof of the house. A smoke detector alerted an occupant and no one was injured, Mehaffey said. The top floor of the home will likely have to be gutted, Mehaffey said. The homeowner has insurance, he said.

Firefighters went to a second fire Saturday afternoon. A car started a fire inside a shop in the 100 block of North Greenacres Road. The owner had put a car he had recently purchased inside the shop. It’s unclear what inside the car malfunctioned to start the fire, Mehaffey said. The shop was badly damaged, but no other buildings were threatened, Mehaffey said. The owner had insurance, Mehaffey said.