Spokane Valley Fire Roundup: Arson investigation continues
Investigators are still looking for clues as to who set four fires in Spokane Valley in the early morning hours of Jan. 29.
One person reported seeing a man in the area around the time of the fires. He was described as being in his 30s with an average build and height. He appeared to be intoxicated.
There are no surveillance cameras in the area, said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.
The first fire in a garbage can was reported in the 12700 block of East Broadway Avenue at 3:32 a.m. While crews were on scene a passerby reported that two porta-potties were on fire at the Spokane Baptist Church at 12817 E. Broadway.
A second garbage can fire was reported in the 12900 block of East Valleyway Avenue at 4:31 a.m. While crews were there a passer-by reported another fire on the corner of Valleyway and McDonald Road. They arrived there to find a man using a garden hose on a smoldering plastic lattice on the front deck.
Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call the department at (509) 928-1700.
Other calls from Jan. 25 to Feb. 7
Jan. 27: A two-car accident was reported at 15118 E. Indiana Ave. near the Best Buy. One car was on its side and the driver had to be extricated.
Jan. 29: A fire was reported on the second floor of an office building at 1410 N. Mullen Road just after 6:30 a.m. A toaster in the break room had caught on fire. A burning ceiling fan was reported in an apartment at 2715 N. Pines Road. The fan fell to the floor and a resident used a fire extinguisher on it. Crews checked the ceiling for fire as well. A vehicle fire was reported in a parking lot at 1527 N. Pines. The car’s owner reported that his rear brakes had caught fire and he got water from the Jack in the Box restaurant to put the flames out.
Jan. 30: A truck crashed into a mobile home deck at Park Road and Third Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. No one was injured.
Jan. 31: Smoke in a mobile home in the 7300 block of North Moose Lane was traced to a smoldering rag that had been stuffed inside a heating vent.
Feb. 1: A smoke alarm sounded in an apartment building at 12423 E. Mansfield Ave. just after 7:30 p.m. Firefighters found a smoldering potholder in the warming area below the oven inside an apartment.
Feb. 7: An empty aluminum boat was reported floating down the Spokane River near Argonne Road. A Spokane County sheriff’s deputy was able to use a long pole to snag the boat and pull it to a homeowner’s dock, where it was tied up.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 575 calls from Jan. 25 to Feb. 7, including 461 calls for emergency medical services. Other calls included several requests to check out unusual odors, 41 car crashes, a car that ended up on its side in someone’s front yard and one toddler locked inside a car.