Fire roundup: Spokane Valley crews respond to three rush fires in single day
Hot weather and occasional wind have created an increased risk of fire danger, as the Spokane Valley Fire Department saw Friday when crews responded to three brush fires on a day when a Red Flag Warning for high fire danger was in effect.
Firefighters responded to a two-alarm brush fire near state Route 27 and Jackson Avenue inside Spokane County Fire District 8 on Friday afternoon. Several other agencies also responded to help, including aircraft dropping water. State Route Highway 27 was closed for several hours while firefighters battled the fire.
Smoke was reported in the area of Appleway Avenue and Vista Road just before 5 p.m. When crews arrived, they spotted a second column of smoke, then a third. Crews from the city of Spokane and the Department of Natural Resources helped put out the fires, along with a 10-person crew from Geiger Corrections Center. The three areas were about 100 feet apart running east to west. The fires are under investigation.
At 5:17 p.m. Friday a call came in about a brush fire at Eighth Avenue and Dishman-Mica Road. The fire was near homes, and neighbors were using garden hoses and sprinklers to try to put out the fire. Crews from Spokane County Fire District 9 helped put the fire out in less than an hour. A witness reported seeing fireworks in the area before the fire.
Other calls July 20-26
July 20: A chaotic scene was reported at Argonne and Mission at 11:44 a.m., with witnesses reporting that a vehicle had hit a power pole and bystanders were trying to keep the driver from fleeing the scene. Power lines were down in the area. The Washington State Patrol responded. A backyard fire was reported in the 11000 block of East Railroad Avenue at 9:44 p.m. The resident said he’d built a fire so his children could make s’mores. He was notified of the burn ban currently in effect.
July 21: A downed power line sparked a brush fire near Campbell Road and Trent Avenue just before 1 pm. Shrubs and trees were burning when firefighters arrive. The fire burned about a quarter of an acre before it was put out. A vehicle ran off the road and hit an electrical box and some boulders in the 1500 block of North McDonald Road at 1:31 p.m. The driver fled and was later found and arrested by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. A small brush fire was reported at 5500 N. Campbell Road at 1:47 p.m. The Department of Natural Resources assisted.
July 22: Someone called to report seeing a man using a lighter to start multiple fires along the Centennial Trail in the 11600 block of East Coyote Rock Drive. Firefighters discovered a 20-foot-by-30-foot grass fire and several other small spot fires along the trail. The Department of Natural Resources is investigating.
July 23: A cleaning crew discovered a small fire started by a cigarette butt can on the deck of a building in the area of Olive Avenue and Valleyway at around 7 p.m. The fire was put out before firefighters arrived.
July 26: A structure fire was reported in the 7800 block of East Upriver Drive at 2:27 p.m. The fire began in a planter on the back deck that had cigarette butts in it.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 403 calls the week of July 20-27, including 312 calls for emergency medical services. Other calls included two broken fire hydrants, a child accidentally locked inside a vehicle, a woman locked inside her vehicle after the battery died and the electronic locks wouldn’t work, an apartment that was deliberately flooded by the tenants as they moved out and numerous backyard fires that would have been legal if there weren’t a burn ban .