Fatal fire started with baseboard heater

The house fire that killed a 97-year-old woman in North Spokane was caused by a suitcase being placed too close to a baseboard heater, Assistant Fire Marshal Michael Miller said Monday. The home where Olga Ford lived with her son at 1227 E. Longfellow Ave. caught fire shortly after 7 a.m. on Oct. 28. Ford was asleep in the home’s back bedroom and died of smoke inhalation. Miller said he believed the fire started in that bedroom. Ford’s son Trevor was able to escape the fire with minor injuries. The house did not have working smoke detectors at the time of the fire. “If there had been a smoke detector in that house, it’s entirely possible that fatality would not have taken place,” Miller said. Miller said the fire was a “tragic situation,” and urged people to avoid placing combustible materials close to heaters. Cleaning chimneys every year before use and being alert for signs of chimney fire can also help prevent winter fires. The Spokane Fire Department will also install smoke alarm for free in any home that’s lacking them. Any residents without a smoke alarm should contact the fire department or the Red Cross, he said.