Valley fire destroys apartments

A fire destroyed a number of apartments in a Spokane Valley complex Monday afternoon, leaving several people homeless and keeping firefighters busy for at least half an hour as flames spread across the roof.

Bud Kiourkas was working on the sprinkler system in a nearby yard near Fourth Avenue and Pierce Road when he noticed smoke. When he saw flames, he called the Valley Fire Department and ran across the street to help alert residents, Kiourkas said.

“Basically, I just heard pounding from my maintenance guy,” resident Ritu Sharma said.

Everyone made it out of the building safely, fire officials said.

Several people watched from the street as 20 to 30 firefighters cut holes in the roof and blasted off shingles with water from hoses. People in the surrounding apartment buildings also looked on nervously as 15 mph winds blew soot and smoke across the street.

The fire appeared to be coming from the attic and spread quickly across the shake roof.

“The damage is going to be pretty extensive,” Fire Department spokesman Bill Clifford said.

The cause remains under investigation, with fire officials looking into the possibility of an electrical problem or fire escaping a fireplace, he said.

According to the apartment manager, 20 to 25 people lived in the 16-unit building. It is part of the Apple Grove complex and was built in 1979 or 1980.