Grilling means summer fires

Spokane Valley has finally gotten enough summer to give firefighters some barbecue fires.

There were a couple of them among the 216 calls to which the Spokane Valley Fire Department responded in the seven days that ended Wednesday.

An apparently unattended propane grill ignited parts of a deck at a house at 19402 E. Indiana Ave. about 12:40 a.m. Monday. Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Clifford said a neighbor called 911 and put out the fire with a garden hose.

On Sunday, flames from a leaking propane hose had threatened the fuel tank of another barbecue grill. That one was in a backyard about 7:40 p.m. No one was injured.

Clifford urged residents to check propane hoses for cracks before firing up their grills for the first time this summer.

The barbecue fires were logged among eight “structure” fires in the week.

The most serious of the structure fires caused an estimated $25,000 damage to an apartment balcony at 15615 E. Fourth Ave. Clifford said a group of people had been smoking, and wind may have overturned an ash tray they left on an “arm chair.”

He said five of nine minor brush fires were considered suspicious. School is out, he noted.

There were 161 emergency medical calls in the period and 23 vehicle accidents. One accident victim was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

A reported vehicle fire turned out to be just an overheated engine, and firefighters found kayakers practicing their sport when a passing motorist summoned them to the Interstate 90 bridge over the Spokane River, near the Idaho state line.

Six alarm-system calls were false or involved minor incidents, including overcooked food, Clifford said.

He said seven calls for general service included two home water leaks, helping ambulance attendants lift people in a couple of routine transports and two cases of children locked in cars.

Also, Clifford said firefighters helped sheriff’s deputies collect evidence of flammable liquid about 5 p.m. Sunday at 10605 E. Buckeye Ave.