Spokane Valley Fire Roundup: Rise in traffice accidents keeps department busy
The two weeks from June 8-21 were busy ones for the Spokane Valley Fire Department, with the number of traffic accidents rising. Several were minor, while others shut down roads and caused injuries. Several of the crashes involved motorcycles.
Multiple cars were involved in a crash at Argonne Road and Main Avenue at 2:45 p.m. on June 10. According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, two cars were racing and lost control, collided and hit three parked cars and a power pole.
Crews reported a large debris field with cars scattered around and all were totaled. There werealso a broken fire hydrant, a damaged telecommunication box and damaged trees. One driver had to be extricated from his car. The road was closed for several hours while the crash was investigated and cleaned up.
The crew on Engine 9 was returning from a call at 9:30 a.m. on June 15 when they noticed a car in the grass with a damaged front end next to a damaged power pole on Mansfield near Station 8. A woman standing next to the car said she wasn’t injured.
A crash reported in the 8900 block of East Sprague Avenue just after 11 a.m. on June 12 happened after the driver had a medical issue. Part of the road was blocked and police were called.
Other calls from June 8-12
June 8: An illegal camp fire was reported in the Dishman Hills west of the intersection of 8th Avenue and Dishman. Crews located and extinguished the fire. A possible illegal fire was reported in the 7700 block of east Buckeye just after 6:30 p.m. Crews found burning tree branches in a fire pit with no one home. The fire was put out. A report of pallets burning behind Sun City Church came in after 9:30 p.m. Firefighters had to cut the chain on a gate to get access to the burning pallets behind the church. Police were already on scene speaking to the man who admitted setting the fire. Just before 11 p.m. a call came in about three burning shopping carts and a burning pile of trash in an empty lot near the area of Sprague and Havana. A man was in the area and he said he didn’t start the fire but was trying to put it out.
June 9: Crews were called to Third and University for a smoking vehicle that had been involved in a police chase around 12:20 a.m. The car was overheated, but not on fire. A possible illegal fire was reported in the 300 block of North Burns Road just after 7:30 p.m. The homeowner was burning fencing material in an outdoor fireplace. He was instructed to put the fire out.
June 10: Smoke was reported coming from a backyard in the area of Bowdish Road and Pierce Road. The homeowner was burning yard waste, which is illegal, and it was too close to a garage. They were told to put the fire out.
June 15: An illegal fire was reported in the area of McCabe Road and Forrest Avenue. Crews found the homeowner burning large branches and cardboard. He was notified that he could not burn yard waste or cardboard. A car fire was reported in the area of Fancher Road and Broadway at 5 p.m. The car was reportedly having mechanical issues.
June 16: A backhoe hit a natural gas line in the area of Leatha Lane and Evergreen Road at 8:22 a.m. Crews checked nearby buildings for accumulation of gas until Avista crews arrived and shut the line down.
June 17: A yard debris fire was reported in the 800 block of South Henry Road. The homeowner was told that the fire was too big and he could only burn firewood. He asked if he could let it burn out but was told to put the fire out.
June 20: A homeowner in the 400 block of North Mitchell Court was digging a hole for a fence post when he hit a natural gas line shortly after 3:30 p.m. He told arriving crews that he did not have his utilities located before he started digging. Avista was called to shut down the leak.
June 21: The crew of Valley Engine 7 was returning from a call when they spotted an unattended toddler running across Fourth Avenue at Margiold. They activated their emergency lights to stop traffic and went out and caught the child. His home was located and his mother said that the boy and his siblings were playing inside the house and she didn’t know he had left the home.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 691 calls in the two weeks from June 8-21, including 553 calls for emergency medical services.
Other responses include a soccer ball hitting and breaking a fire sprinkler head, a pressure washer leaking gasoline, a woman locked out of her car by her puppy, a homeowner who hit a natural gas line, a cloud of smoke that turned out to be caused by a Camaro burning rubber and a reported car fire that turned out to be smoke from a smoke machine.