Body found after house fire

One person was found dead Friday night when a Spokane Valley home was destroyed by fire.

After dousing the flames, firefighters initially did not find anyone inside the home at 2612 N. McMillan Drive, said Spokane Valley Fire Battalion Chief Dave Umthun. The body was found in an area that appeared to be the bathroom after investigators were able to conduct a thorough inspection.

Firefighters were called to the residence – two mobile homes connected in an L-shape – about 9 p.m.

Umthun said the person likely died before firefighters arrived; the fire had spread throughout the home by the time it was reported.

“The floor’s gone in portions of it,” Umthun said.

Neighbors knocked on windows and doors when they saw the fire, and no one responded, Umthun said.

Witnesses said flames reached high into the air, and some said they drove to the fire after seeing the flames from more than a mile away.

Joseph Knapp, who was watching the blaze, said heavy smoke drifted onto his street about a mile from the source.

“It was just crazy,” Knapp said “We thought it was in the neighborhood.”

The blaze started in the back of the residence, and the cause is under investigation, Umthun said.