Family escapes house fire

When friends ask Max Wallette what he did during his summer vacation, he can answer that he saved his mother and grandmother.

Ten-year-old Wallette warned both women Tuesday morning about a fire burning in his grandmother’s home, ensuring that they escaped safely.

The fire started about 10:30 a.m. at the two-story house at 3217 N. Nelson in northeast Spokane.

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said that it most likely started on the first floor and then burned up into the second story and attic.

Max Wallette and his mother were at his grandmother’s because she had been sick.

“First thing I remember was getting woke up by the phone ringing. I went downstairs and saw smoke and woke everybody up,” he said.

Max’s grandmother, Theresa Wallette, has lived in the home since 1977. She has deep ties to the neighborhood; a niece lives next door and her sister lives across the street.

“I have a lot of family support,” she said.

Theresa Wallette said she’s thankful that she escaped unharmed and was able to rescue Foxy, her chihuahua-pomeranian mix. Her cats also lived because they were on the back porch. One had refused to come inside the night before, she said.

Theresa Wallette wanted to go back inside her house to retrieve some belongings even as the fire burned, but her daughter stopped her.

The home is insured. “Even my clothes are covered,” she said.

Schaeffer said it’s unclear how the fire started, but the homeowner told investigators she hasn’t had any electrical problems. She was in the process of refinishing the living room and dining room floors.

Schaeffer said 26 firefighters responded. Fighting fires in older homes can be difficult, he said, because there are no fire breaks between floors, so the fire is able to spread quickly.

The house suffered extensive damage, although firefighters tried to protect Theresa Wallette’s belongings from water damage by laying tarps over things.

“Oh, I see water pouring out,” she said as she watched the firefighters work.