Cause of blaze that killed 69-year-old man may be smoking related

The Spokane Valley Fire Department saw a large spike in the number of calls the week of July 15-21, due mostly to a spike in the number of medical calls. There were 259 calls, well over the usual amount that hovers near 200.

“Medical calls jumped up drastically,” said assistant fire marshal Bill Clifford. “We had 200 of those.”

The major call of the week was a fire that killed a 69-year-old Spokane Valley resident just after 3 a.m. on Wednesday. A passer-by called 911 to report the fire in an apartment building at 10516 E. Main Ave. The man was identified as Arthur L. Farmer.

The man was a heavy smoker and reportedly used oxygen, Clifford said. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Investigators are checking whether an air purifier may have malfunctioned or whether it was sparked by a cigarette. “It’s probably going to be linked to smoking,” Clifford said.

The department received a call for both a kitchen fire and a grass fire in the 13100 block of East Alki on July 19. “They had a grease fire on the stove, which spread to the high chair,” Clifford said. “They threw the high chair out the slider, which landed in some dry grass.”

The homeowners had extinguished the fires before firefighters arrived and damage was minimal. “Thank God there was nobody in the high chair,” Clifford said.

The department also responded to three illegal recreational fires and the homeowners were informed on the burn ban in place, Clifford said. A brush truck and crew were also sent to the Cowiche Mill Fire near Yakima to help out.

There were 21 vehicle accidents during the week, which is also a higher number than usual. Clifford noted that a lot of them were rear-end collisions. “Is the heat making people drowsy in the afternoon and they’re not paying attention?” he said. Several involved serious injuries, but none were life-threatening.

The hazardous material team was called out four times for a broken natural gas line, spilled paint, spilled oil and an ammonia smell.