Spokane Valley fire roundup: Cigarettes in potting soil cause rash of fires
The Spokane Valley Fire Department has responded to a rash of fires recently caused by people putting their cigarette butts in flower pots or planters thinking they contain dirt.
“Cigarettes and potting soil do not mix,” said department spokeswoman Melanie Rose. “Potting soil is flammable.”
It’s not always readily apparent how dangerous putting a cigarette in potting soil is, Rose said. “They smolder for a while before it really gets going, but when they get going, they really get going.”
Most of the fires were caught while they were still small, but one caused $30,000 in damage to a home on July 28. Firefighters were called to 5215 N. Burns Road after a resident returned home just as a neighbor discovered the fire. The resident was able to get three dogs out of the home.
The fire started on the back deck and went into the attic of the home, burning a hole in the roof.
A neighbor used a garden hose to put out a small fire on an apartment balcony at 16102 E. Broadway Ave. on July 25. The fire was started by a cigarette in a potted plant. A planter by the front door of an apartment on 12422 E. Mansfield Ave. ignited on July 31 and a planter started a fire at 12707 E. Mansfield on Aug. 1.
A cigarette left on an apartment balcony railing started a fire at 12202 E. Maxwell Ave. on July 28. A neighbor also spotted that fire and put it out.
Other calls from July 24-Aug. 6
July 25: Firefighters responded to a shed fire in the 18900 block of East Marietta Avenue. The fire started at a generator that was next to the shed. The homeowner was found down the block with serious burns to his hands and face after he tried to put out the fire. He was taken to Sacred Heart Medical Center and then Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of his burns.
July 26: Smoke was reported in the 4000 block of South Driftwood Drive. It turned out to be a barbecue in the backyard.
July 27: A small fire was reported in the 14200 block of East 16th Avenue. Crews found a smoldering juniper bush and found the fire mostly extinguished. The homeowner said he had splashed gasoline on a bee hive and then lit it on fire.
July 28: A slow moving grass fire was reported in the 16200 block of East Lacrosse Lane. The fire was caused by a hawk, whose remains were found at the base of a power pole.
July 29: An illegal backyard fire was reported in the 14800 block of East Appleway Avenue in a yard bordered by a field with waist high dry grass. The homeowner became belligerent when he was told about the ongoing burn ban and drew a gun from his waistband. Firefighters left the area and called the Sheriff’s Office.
Aug. 1: A motorcyclist was injured when a car turned left in front of him in the 24800 block of East Trent Avenue. He laid down his bike in an attempt to avoid a crash and his right shoulder hit the car’s back tire. He was wearing a helmet.
Aug. 4: A human-caused brush fire was reported from the top of a hill by a water tower in the area of 2600 N. Pines Road. The fire was put out before it grew larger than a quarter of an acre.