Spokane Valley fire roundup: Vehicle strikes man from behind, leaves scene
The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to several calls April 16-29 involving a cooking fire and three motor vehicle accidents resulting in nonlife-threatening injuries.
Fire crews on April 17 responded to a report of a 20-year-old male that was struck by a vehicle on the 5300 block of East Eighth Avenue. The man said he was walking with friends on the shoulder of the road around 11 p.m. when he was struck from behind by a car. The vehicle left the scene, and the man was transported to the hospital.
A 46-year-old newspaper delivery driver on April 18 was delivering papers around 4:50 a.m. on the 300 block of South Sandy Beach Lane in Liberty Lake when she slipped and fell out of her moving vehicle, which ran over her legs. The woman was transported to the hospital.
Firefighters on April 29 were called to a one-car vehicle rollover crash around 1:45 a.m. on Interstate 90, near milepost 288. The vehicle was on its side about 800 feet from the roadway when crews arrived at the scene. The initial call to the fire department reported the driver was OK but couldn’t get out of the vehicle. The 24-year-old driver was able to get out of the vehicle before crews arrived and was treated by medics at the scene for arm pain. He was later transported to the hospital for nonlife-threatening injuries.
Other calls on April 16-29
April 16: Firefighters responded to a person-in-distress call at 11:40 p.m. on the 200 block of South Sullivan Road. An individual in an electric wheelchair got stuck in the mud and grass outside of her apartment while looking for her cat. Crews were able to pull her out of the grass and coax the cat back into the apartment.
April 20: Crews responded to a report of a riding lawnmower on fire around 12:15 p.m. on the 2800 block of South Progress Road. Crews upon arrival found the lawnmower fully engulfed in flames. The fire spread to a 10-by-20-foot area of grass before crews were able to extinguish it.
April 22: Firefighters responded to a cooking fire around 10:50 p.m. at the Whimsical Pig Apartments on the 13300 block of East Mission Avenue. Crews saw smoke coming from a third floor apartment. The fire was extinguished by the tenant, who was attempting to deep fry for the first time when the oil in the cooking pan began to boil, causing it to ignite. The tenant was treated for a cut hand.
April 25: A homeowner on the 14900 block of East Heroy Lane reported light smoke coming from the front door of their house around 10:45 p.m. When crews arrived, three occupants and two dogs were on the front sidewalk. Crews found the smoke coming from a pile of clothes in a small crawl space near a water heater. Crews extinguished the fire and installed five smoke alarms in the home.
April 26: Firefighters responded to a report of smoke emanating from a roof on the 300 block of North Molter Road in Liberty Lake. The resident was outside and noticed smoke coming from a roof vent. The resident, his wife and two dogs were able to evacuate. Fire crews determined the fire was caused by the failure of an attic fan motor, which appeared to be more than 20 years old. There was more than $1,000 in estimated damages.
By the numbers: The Spokane Valley Fire Department responded to 681 calls April 16-29, which included 36 fire calls, 27 alarm system response calls, 563 emergency medical service calls, one extrication response call, three water rescue calls, one rescue task force call, five hazmat calls, 39 motor vehicle accidents and six service calls.