Woman and dog both die after fire

A woman and her dog injured in a fire at their Spokane Valley home on Saturday have both died. Patricia Bohannon, 71, was burned over 65 percent of her body, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s office. Factors that contributed to her death include COPD and pulmonary emphysema and she had previously had part of one lung removed due to lung cancer. Spokane Valley Fire Department crews were called to her home at 801 N. University Road just after 2 p.m. Saturday. Smoke and flames were coming from the front of the home and Bohannon was in the front yard. “She managed to get herself out of the house, but she had sustained some pretty serious burns,” said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose. Bohannon was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. She died Monday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. “We do know that she was a smoker and that she used oxygen,” Rose said. “We believe the oxygen rich environment contributed to the fire.” Firefighters searched the home after they arrived and found the woman’s dog inside. Nancy Hill, director of the Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service, said the dog had severe injuries and was euthanized after consulting with Bohannon’s family. “It was just too far gone after going to the vet and getting treatment,” Hill said. “It was pretty rough.”