Overheated fridge starts fire on home’s deck
Warm weather and an animal nest combined to start a house fire in the 4900 block of East Eighth Avenue recently.
The Spokane Valley Fire Department was called to the home on May 1 after the back deck caught on fire and flames spread to the house, said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose.
The cause of the fire was traced to a mini refrigerator plugged in on the deck sitting in the sun. An animal nest of some kind blocked air circulation around the compressor and the motor overheated and caught fire, Rose said.
The fire caused an estimated $72,000 in damage.
Other calls from
April 25 to May 8
April 27: A resident in the 10400 block of East 24th Avenue awoke to the smell of smoke shortly before 5 a.m. Improper electrical wiring caused a small exterior fire near the front door.
April 28: The wall of a detached shop in the 18000 block of East Indiana Avenue caught on fire. Discarded ashes from a fire pit had been put in a plastic container and pushed up against the wall. The container caught fire and the flames spread to the wall.
The swift water rescue team assisted the Spokane Fire Department in a search for a person who reportedly jumped in the river in downtown Spokane.
May 1: A motorcycle passenger was taken to the hospital after an accident involving a child on a bicycle at Darin Road and Crown Avenue. The child turned left in front of the motorcycle and the two front wheels collided. The child was not injured.
May 3: Crews were called to an unauthorized burning call in the 1300 block of South Marigold Road. The homeowner was burning a stump, which is illegal.
Crews responded to a hazardous material call at the Spokane County Solid Waste Transfer Station on Sullivan Road. Tests revealed that an unmarked 55-gallon drum releasing clouds of vapor was filled with an acid that contained an oxidizer.
May 5: The swift water rescue team helped the Spokane Fire Department recover a body from the river near the Monroe Street Bridge.
May 6: A mini van was reported to be on fire in the 1600 block of North Wolfe Pen Court.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 605 calls in the two weeks of April 25 to May 8, including 486 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses include 38 car crashes, a broken tree tangled with power lines, a resident who reported smelling carbon monoxide who wanted crews to check it out and a driver pinned inside his pickup by a malfunctioning gate.