Firefighters extinguish apartment fire in East Central neighborhood

Spokane firefighters extinguished a fire this morning in an apartment building in the East Central neighborhood.

Firefighters were called to the four-unit apartment at 133 N. Stone St. about 7 a.m.

All residents escaped the building, said Deputy Fire Chief Jay Atwood. Seven tenants live in the building, which was converted into apartments from a home.

The fire appears to have started in a second-floor kitchen and extended into the attic. Firefighters worked to quell stubborn flames that were re-emerging in the attic.

The older-style construction of the house allowed the fire to move quickly through it, Atwood said.

“They thought they had it knocked down pretty much immediately at the scene of the fire on the second floor, and then within just a couple of minutes we had fire in the attic and it was off and running,” Atwood said.

Firefighters took immediate steps to prevent the spread of the fire to other structures, Atwood said. Crews worked to prevent flooding caused by their use of water at the scene.

Annette Flinn said she and the other two tenants who live in her basement unit were asleep when the fire started.

“Somebody came pounding on the door saying the building is on fire,” Flinn said. “They woke us all up out of a dead sleep.”

She said they didn’t have time to save anything from the apartment but their three dogs. She suspects that her unit is flooded.

Flinn said firefighters rescued two cats from the apartment in which the fire started.

The building is owned by Universal Heart Center Inc., according to Spokane County property records.

Spokane police asked motorists to stay away from the area of Stone and Main Avenue because of the fire.

The American Red Cross was at the scene assisting tenants.