Reward offered in arson investigation
The Spokane Valley Fire Department is continuing to investigate an arson fire that damaged or destroyed three modular structures in Spokane Valley earlier this month.
One appeared to be a portable classroom and the others appeared to be construction site office units, said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose. The owner of the units, which were being stored behind the Zip’s Restaurant at 15808 E. Sprague Ave., had been having trouble with people breaking into them for weeks.
All three had been boarded up and pushed together to deter break-ins, which helped the fire spread. Rose said the middle unit sustained the most damage and appears to have been where the fire began.
Damage to the units is estimated at $100,000. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the department at (509) 928-1700.
Calls from
Oct. 19-Nov. 1
Oct. 21: Five ambulances were called to a multi-vehicle crash in the 3800 block of North Sullivan Road. A female driver had to be cut from her car. No one was seriously injured.
Oct. 24: An illegal trash fire was reported in the 7300 block of East Eighth Avenue. While the ban on recreational fires has been lifted, it is always illegal to burn yard debris and trash.
Oct. 27: A contractor operating a stump grinder accidentally cut into a natural gas line in the 16100 block of East Broad Avenue.
Oct. 29: A travel trailer was destroyed in a fire behind 18108 E. Cowley Ave. The trailer was undergoing renovation and was not insured. The cause of the fire was determined to be an improperly grounded electrical extension cord.
A car was discovered balanced precariously on the edge of an embankment in the 10100 block of East Knox Avenue by a Spokane Fire Department crew returning from joint training with Valley Fire. The car was stabilized and the driver rescued.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 569 calls during the two weeks of Oct. 19 to Nov. 1, including 473 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses included 42 car crashes, a small brush fire, an elderly woman locked out of her house and a small child locked inside a car.