Fire calls include blaze caused by purse on stove

In the last week, firefighters handled calls ranging from a smoldering toothbrush to an all-out house fire where four people were arrested in connection with drive-by shootings that appear unrelated to the fire.

There were about 160 calls total for fire service, said Assistant Fire Chief David Lobdell.

That’s about average for the department.

About 120 of those were medical emergencies, There were about a dozen fire calls and some 15 vehicle accidents, Lobdell said. Six of those occurred Monday after the region suddenly was blanketed with snow.

Last Thursday, a 1989 Ford pickup was damaged at a garage fire on the 23000 block of East Trent Avenue. The cause of the fire was ruled accidental, Lobdell said.

There were two fires in the Valley on Saturday. Just after 7 p.m. firefighters helped put out a kitchen fire on the 12000 block of East Desmet Avenue that the resident partly subdued with a fire extinguisher.

“We primarily just overhauled it to make sure there wasn’t any expansion,” Lobdell said.

The fire started after the stove was turned on accidentally with a purse on top of it, he said. Damage was estimated at $10,000.

Also Saturday, firefighters put out a chimney fire at the 1100 block of North Rudolf Road.

About $20,000 in damage was caused by a fire in a 30-foot-long fifth wheel trailer at the 4800 block of E. Sprague Avenue, Lobdell said.

On Tuesday, police arrived at the 12000 block of East Alki Avenue where a home was engulfed in flames. No one was injured, but at least nine people fled from the house into the 20-degree weather.

Police then showed up and four people were arrested in connection to three drive-by shootings that happened last week.

Fire crews also made several miscellaneous runs that included a downed power line and smoke in a house.

“We had trouble finding (the fire) and had to get the thermal imaging cameras,” Lobdell said.

It turned out that a toothbrush had fallen on a heater and started smoking.

On the administrative end, Fire Chief Mike Thompson made the case for an increase in the fire service levy at the City Council’s meeting Tuesday night. During a March 14 election, the district will ask voters for a $0.13 per $1,000 increase in the tax, starting in 2007.

Thompson told the council that the money will be used to keep up with the growing number of calls the department receives, reduce call times and replace aging equipment.