Flaming truck spotted driving on Interstate 90
Multiple calls of a burning semi driving eastbound on Interstate 90 were received just after noon on Dec. 14, prompting a response from the Washington State Patrol and the Spokane Valley Fire Department.
The WSP pulled over the truck, which was headed to Post Falls with a load of wood chips, at Stateline. Firefighters determined the wood chips were smoldering, but the department didn’t have the necessary equipment to unload the trailer at the scene and spread out the chips to douse them with water, said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.
The decision was made to allow the truck to drive the handful of miles remaining to its destination in Post Falls, which had the needed equipment. One of the department’s engines followed the truck on its trek to make sure there were no problems, Rose said.
Other calls from
Dec. 12-18
Dec. 12: An attic fire was reported at 4220 S. Hatherly Circle around 9:30 p.m. Residents reported hearing a popping noise before the fire began. No one was injured. Investigators were unable to determine the cause of the fire. A small bathroom fire was reported at the Pinecroft Mobile Home Park at 11920 E. Mansfield. A towel was accidentally lit on fire.
Dec. 13: Homeowners discovered smoke in their home at 4:30 a.m. in the 11000 block of East Main but could not find a fire. Firefighters used a thermal imaging camera to locate a smoldering fire in the attic above the kitchen. The fire was caused by an electrical malfunction.
Dec. 14: Residents at 18309 E. Desmet noticed flames on the second floor of their home at 11:20 p.m. Crews were able to limit the fire damage to the upstairs. The homeowner was rewiring the electrical circuit breaker panel when the fire started.
Dec. 17: The resident of a mobile home in the 17600 block of East Appleway awoke around 1:12 a.m. to discovered smoke inside the home. Someone had placed a sauce pan under the mobile home with a smoldering towel inside it. The homeowner didn’t know who might have put it there.
Dec. 18: Crews were called to a reported accident just off the I-90 Liberty Lake exit at 9:40 a.m. On arrival they found a light pole sheared off at the base with tire tracks in the snow leading toward the pole and then away from it.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 338 calls from Dec. 12-18, including 235 calls for emergency medical services. Other calls included 42 car cashes, a broken toilet gushing water all over an apartment and a request from the police department for a ladder to access the roof of a building during a burglary investigation.