Spokane in brief: Dropped cigarette cause of fatal fire

Spokane firefighters say a dropped cigarette caused a Tuesday evening fire that killed a Spokane woman.

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.

She died later at the hospital.

Investigators believe Eutsler either fell asleep or became disoriented and dropped a lit cigarette in a front room of the apartment, because evidence showed the fire started low on the floor, according to a Wednesday morning Fire Department statement.

The fire then spread quickly because of a large volume of combustible materials and oxygen tanks.

At some point after the fire started, Eutsler awoke and moved to a bedroom in the back of the apartment, where firefighters found her.

Eutsler likely suffered from trauma related to extreme heat and smoke inhalation, Schaeffer said. An autopsy was performed Wednesday morning, but full results won’t be available for several months.

Ballots for 2 levies will arrive soon

Nearly 2,000 Spokane residents should be receiving ballots in the mail in the next few days for special elections scheduled for April 24.

Residents of the Orchard Prairie School District, which is surrounded by the Spokane, Mead and West Valley school districts, are being asked to approve a two-year replacement for an expiring levy that amounts to $1.20 in taxes for every $1,000 assessed value. It is expected to raise $70,500 next year and in 2009.

Residents of Spokane Fire District 13, which provides fire services around Newman Lake, are being asked to renew their emergency medical services levy last approved in 2002. The six-year levy would continue the 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value.

All elections in Spokane County are conducted by mail, so registered voters in those two districts who don’t receive their ballots by April 12 should call the elections office, at (509) 477-2320, for a replacement.

Ballots must be signed and postmarked by April 24.

Man dead after fight in trailer

One man was dead and another was being detained for questioning after a fight at a west Spokane trailer park Wednesday night.

The two men were involved in a violent physical altercation in a trailer set up behind the Airway Express Inn near Spokane International Airport at about 8:30 p.m., said Spokane County sheriff’s Deputy Craig Chamberlain.

One of the men died at the scene, and deputies were questioning the other man, Chamberlain said. As of late Wednesday night, the man had not been arrested.

It was unclear if alcohol or weapons played any role in the death, Chamberlain said.

Olympia

More primary ballots will count

More primary ballots are likely to be counted next year under a change approved by the Legislature and sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire this week.

By margins of 96-1 in the House and 48-0 in the Senate, the Legislature said a ballot won’t automatically be rejected if a voter fails to check a box that signifies party preference as a Democrat or a Republican. If a voter only marks candidates from one party, the ballot will be counted.

The change was recommended by Secretary of State Sam Reed, who estimated about 9 percent of ballots were rejected in fall’s primary from counties that used a consolidated ballot, which is one that has candidates of both parties on it. Voters either neglected or refused to mark the box.

Spokane County uses separate ballots for each party, and requires voters to mark and send back only one. But 25 counties, including Ferry and Stevens, used the combined ballot.

Ferry County

Victim thought shooter was joking

A Ferry County man was shot to death Tuesday by a roommate who reportedly asked him, “Are you ready to die?”

The victim answered, “Bring it on,” and raised his hands, apparently thinking the question was a joke, a witness told investigators.

Phillip J. Strong, 59, was booked into Ferry County Jail on a charge of first-degree murder as authorities investigate the death of 37-year-old Trent Irby in his home at 52 Tonasket Creek Road, near Curlew. Strong is being held on $500,000 bond.

The Washington State Patrol has taken over the lead role in an investigation that began Tuesday evening with the Ferry County Sheriff’s Department.

Officers who responded to a 911 call about 6 p.m. Tuesday found Irby face down in a pool of blood on the living room floor.

Irby and Strong had been living together amicably, a witness told investigators, but the relationship had recently soured.

According to investigators, the witness said after Strong shot Irby in the chest, the victim fell, and Strong walked over and shot him again – this time in the back.

Strong was arrested a short time later.

PULLMAN

Mad cow lab open six more months

The only mad cow testing laboratory in the Pacific Northwest will remain open for another six months, but officials insisted Wednesday it isn’t because of increased fears of the chronic brain-wasting disease in the region.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture contract for testing at Washington State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine expired March 1 as part of the agency’s efforts to scale back monitoring for bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease.

The USDA has extended the contract through Sept. 30.