Early morning house fire claims two people, several pets

A man and a woman died in a house fire at 2213 E. Fourth Ave. on Saturday morning.

A call came in to the Spokane Fire Department just after 10 a.m., Fire Chief Bobby Williams said. “We had reports people were in the structure,” he said. “When crews arrived they saw one person jump out the front window. That person took off running.”

Crews found a “well-involved” fire in a second-floor bedroom. A man was found dead in the bedroom and a woman was rescued, Williams said. Firefighters performed CPR on the woman, who later died at a local hospital.

The fire was contained to the bedroom, Williams said. The person who jumped from the second-story window had not been located as of Saturday evening.

A dog and a young puppy also died in the fire. “They were in a cage and could not get out and died of smoke inhalation,” Williams said.

Fire investigators and Spokane Police Department Major Crimes detectives were on the scene for several hours Saturday. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“It does not appear that there were any smoke detectors in place, which we believe could have changed the outcome,” Williams said.

The identities of the victims are expected to be released by the medical examiner’s office after autopsies are completed.

Spokane County Assessor’s Office records show that the home is owned by Tesu 209 LLC.