Woman dies after apartment fire

A Spokane woman died Tuesday evening after firefighters pulled her out of her burning apartment.

Karen Eutsler was found sitting in a chair and not breathing when firefighters entered the apartment at 1625 E. Pacific Ave., said Spokane Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer.

Paramedics placed Eutsler in a neighbor’s front yard and performed CPR before she was taken by ambulance to Deaconess Medical Center.

She died later at Deaconess.

Schaeffer said Eutsler was believed to be in her mid-50s.

The blaze caused extensive damage to the apartment, which was in a triplex. Total damage was estimated at $60,000.

Eutsler likely suffered from trauma related to extreme heat and smoke inhalation, Schaeffer said.

“When the first company arrived, there was heavy fire showing from the unit,” he said. “The survivability in that type of environment is very, very low.”

Schaeffer said a burned wheelchair was found inside the apartment, and he had heard reports that Eutsler was not very mobile.

The fire was reported at 7:19 p.m. An hour later, firefighters’ flashlights beamed through the smoke as they continued to put out small fires scattered inside the building.

A crowd of neighbors meandered past the scene, peering into the windows and at the medical crews.

Fire crews have responded to the address before to handle medical emergencies, Schaeffer said, and knew that Eutsler had used supplemental oxygen.

When crews arrived, neighbors told the firefighters that nobody was inside. Regardless, crews searched the building upon arriving.

Three investigators combed through evidence late Tuesday, trying to discover what caused the fire.

The other two units in the apartment complex had working, hard-wired smoke detectors, Schaeffer said.

It was unknown whether the unit that burned had a working detector.

Schaeffer said the blaze was a difficult situation for firefighters.

“It’s tough for our folks to take all that risk and then to not have a good outcome,” he said.

“Unfortunately, that’s the job we have sometimes.”

Neighbors told firefighters that a man lived with Eutsler, though he was not present during the blaze.

It was discovered later that he was at another medical facility after suffering a stroke.