Fire calls include 15 motor vehicle crashes

Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to 180 calls between Jan. 3 and Tuesday, but most were relatively uneventful.

Fire crews went to six structure fire calls, said spokesman Bill Clifford. Most were people who reported smelling smoke or had electrical issues.

“We had one fire where a pellet stove malfunctioned, but there was little damage,” Clifford said.

The department responded to 13 fire alarms sounding, Clifford said. Most were false alarms. One was caused by a person bumping the knobs on a stove which ignited a bag of potato chips; a good reason not to leave items that can easily catch fire near the stove. The small blaze caused minimal damage. Other calls involved burnt popcorn.

Fire crews responded to 15 motor vehicle crashes during the weeklong period, Clifford said. The most serious crash was a T-bone at Trent and University on Jan. 6 about 1:45 p.m. Two people were taken to a hospital.

Firefighters also went out on 147 emergency medical service calls, Clifford said.