Where there’s chemical mist, there’s no fire

Six fire extinguishers deployed at Liberty Lake Urgent Care Center Monday night launched a full response from the Spokane Valley Fire Department when the chemical mist was thought to be smoke.

The hoax, perpetrated by multiple juveniles, left some Valley fire stations without coverage while firefighters rushed to the Urgent Care facility, said David Lobdell, an assistant fire chief. The fine chemical mist, which will be very expensive to clean up, set off a fire alarm.

Liberty Lake police are now investigating the incident, officials said.

Monday’s call was among 162 runs made by the Spokane Valley Fire Department between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, which included 122 emergency medical service responses, Lobdell said.

Fire crews responded to several fires during the time period

Oil dripping on a hot manifold caused a truck fire on Feb. 2 at Interstate 90 and Evergreen Road.

A pile of straw bales, 30-by-30-by-10 feet, was ignited Feb. 3 under suspicious circumstances, Lobdell said. Firefighters responded to the blaze at 20215 E. Nora Ave. about 10 p.m. A crew dumped water on the straw, but eventually decided to let it burn out.

Also on Feb. 3, fire crews responded to an apartment fire at 1515 N. Bowdish Road, Lobdell said. Firefighters were able to contain it to the bedroom, although there was heat and smoke damage throughout. A cigarette was the cause of the blaze. The estimated damage was $40,000 to $50,000.

“Cigarettes, oxygen and a lack of a smoke detector are not a good combination,” Lobdell said. “The fire was caused by someone smoking in bed. One of the apartment residents was on oxygen, which isn’t flammable by itself, but it significantly intensifies fires. I don’t know how the residents got out without a smoke detector, but they were unharmed. This could have easily been a double fatality.”

On Feb. 4, firefighters responded to two fires. A fire started in a dog kennel when the dogs knocked down a heat lamp and ignited some straw and it spread in to an adjacent shed, Lobdell said. Another fire destroyed a mobile home porch. That fire is under investigation. “And on Feb. 5, about 2:05 p.m., we had our first grass fire of the year,” Lobdell said. “It was a small fire along the fence. The cause is unknown.”

Spokane Valley Fire Department also responded to 15 fire alarms and 13 car crashes, Lobdell said. But there were no false alarms or good intent calls, which was unusual.