Fire at horse stalls considered suspicious

Spokane Valley firefighters had another busy week with 203 calls between Feb. 21 and 27.

Crews responded to 12 fires, ranging from electrical to structural blazes, spokesman Bill Clifford said. Among the structure fires was one at Valley Mission Park where 37 of 41 horse stalls were destroyed. The cause remains unknown, but the fire is considered suspicious.

Firefighters also responded to a sawdust pit fire, two grass fires and four vehicle blazes, Clifford said.

Sixteen fire alarms sent firefighters rushing to places where no flames existed, including an apartment complex at 2718 N. Bowdish Road where alarms were intentionally triggered, Clifford said. “Doing so pulls resources away from an actual emergency.”

Fire crews responded to 13 vehicle crashes, Clifford said. On Feb. 22, a crash at 12701 E. Trent Ave. about 1 a.m. involved a passenger who was sleeping in the backseat. The driver fled and the passenger had to be extricated from the car, then sent to the hospital with minor injuries. Another major crash involved a 17-year-old girl being impaled by a fence post when the car she was in missed a turn Friday night. The driver also fled in that crash. David J. Darling, 28, was arrested Monday.

Spokane Valley Fire Department also went out on 150 emergency medical calls, Clifford said. Nothing unusual, mainly bumps, bruises and cardiac arrests, he said.