Firefighters free gamers arm

Spokane Valley firefighters were called to Tilt arcade Monday when a 12-year-old boy got his arm caught underneath a video arcade game.

Firefighters and maintenance people lifted the machine off him, fire officials said. The boy was not hurt.

The 12-year-old was trying to retrieve a quarter.

Responses were up 25 percent between July 4 and Monday for Spokane Valley Fire Department with 211 calls, 144 of which were for emergency medical service, said David Lobdell, an assistant chief. The main reason for the increase in calls was thunderstorms.

Lightning started one grass fire and two tree fires and struck one house, Lobdell said. The damage to the home in the 13600 block of East 30th Avenue was minimal.

Illegal fireworks were responsible for three grass fires, Lodell said.

Firefighters also went out on two stove-top fires, Lobdell said. The message for this week: “Don’t leave food cooking on the stove unattended.”

Crews went out on 14 vehicle crashes. Four people were hurt enough to be taken to hospitals, Lobdell said. One of the crashes involved an 11-year-old girl who rode her bike into the side of a moving vehicle in a parking lot. She suffered minor injuries.