Grease fire nearly torches Three Sisters restaurant
A grease fire nearly ignited the Three Sisters Vietnamese and Chinese Cuisine restaurant at 10615 E. Sprague Ave. last week.
“They fired up the wok and left it unattended,” said Spokane Valley Fire Department spokeswoman Melanie Rose. “It heated really quickly and it auto-ignited.”
Crews were called the restaurant just after 11 a.m. on April 4 and found flames shooting from a roof vent above the kitchen. The cook attempted to put the fire out with water, which caused the fire to surge up into the hood and into the exhaust vent.
Damage to the restaurant was estimated at $35,000. Four people evacuated the building and no one was injured.
Other calls from March 27 to April 9
March 27: A dumpster fire was reported in the 12100 block of East Cataldo Avenue. Bystanders reported seeing nothing suspicious.
March 28: Crews responded to a broken 2-inch natural gas line in the 21900 block of East Country Vista Drive. They cleared the area until Avista crews arrived to stop the leak.
March 29: A two car T-bone crash was reported at Park Road and Sprague Avenue. One vehicle went into a utility pole. Two people were injured.
April 1: A small, smoldering fire was located on a rooftop HVAC unit at the Jackson Hole Bar and Grill at 122 S. Bowdish.
April 5: An outdoor trash fire was reported in the 1400 block of South Raymond Road. The homeowner was using an illegal burn barrel to burn plywood.
April 6: An outside trash fire was reported in the 6700 block of East Fifth Avenue. The homeowner had an approved fire pit and was burning dry logs, which are allowed, and piles of pine needles, which are not allowed. A man backing his truck up in the 11900 block of East Mansfield Avenue accidentally hit a 7-year-old girl. She was not seriously hurt.
April 7: A driver crossed the center line and collided head-on with Valley Engine 1 just before 4 a.m. on University Road between Mission Avenue and Maxwell Avenue. The driver was seriously injured and had to be extricated from his car. The firefighters were not injured. A representative from the engine manufacturer is expected to fly in next week to determine whether the engine’s frame is damaged.
April 9: Someone using a propane torch to burn weeds in the 9300 block of East Alki Avenue accidentally caught a shrub on fire. A woman walking her dog in the 10100 block of East Appleway Avenue reported a small brush fire that was quickly put out.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 632 calls in the two weeks from March 27 to April 9, including 518 calls for emergency medical services. The responses also included 18 calls for illegal outdoor burning, 40 car crashes, two children locked inside cars and a woman who called to report that she was unable to turn her bathtub faucet off. A firefighter was able to turn the faucet handle and stop the water.