Geiger Boulevard warehouse razed in fire

Warehouse owner Bob Yeager watched firefighters Wednesday douse the smoldering rubble that once held nearly a lifetime of work.

A 4 a.m. fire at 2006 S. Geiger Blvd. brought down the southwestern half of the building that Yeager had occupied for 40 years. He built the warehouse himself over a long period, doing a section at a time when he had enough money, he said.

There, he ran his Spiral and Railing House, welding spiral staircases in a method he had developed. Several old examples remained in the parking lot.

“It’s like an old friend,” he said of the building. “That’s the worst part.”

His wife and children helped him build it. “My whole world is nothing but hard work,” Yeager said.

He moved the staircase business to his Lake Roosevelt home four years ago and was leasing space to tenants, including a woodworking craftsman and the Spokane Indian Tribe, which was going to use the space for storage.

District 10 Fire Chief Nick Scharff said flames were shooting out of front windows when his crews arrived.

The fire apparently started inside the woodworking shop and may have been fueled in part by the finishes and other flammables typically stocked in wood shops, the chief said. The fire caused the roof over the woodworking shop to collapse on the southwest end of the building.

The woodworking shop was operated by Doss Spotts, a former artist and teacher who now specializes in fine cabinetry and other wood projects, said his wife, Carole Spotts.

She said the business had some insurance, but she was concerned about the level of coverage.

The business had struggled with the economic recession in 2008 and 2009, but was recently gaining new clients for custom kitchens, she said.

“Things had just turned around for him,” Carole Spotts said.

Nearly 40 firefighters in 10 fire rigs responded to the blaze. Crews from District 3 and Airway Heights joined in the effort. No injuries were reported.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.