Fire destroys barn in Otis Orchards, kills chickens

A barn on North Starr Road in the Otis Orchards area was destroyed after it caught fire Monday, killing several chickens.

When Spokane Valley firefighters arrived at a property near Joseph Avenue and Starr Road, they had to resort to handlines and fire engines to control the blaze. The barn was located in a rural area away from fire hydrants.

Rob Proctor, a battalion chief for the Spokane Valley Fire Department, said the building was a total loss.

“A couple burnt posts standing up is about all that’s left,” he said.

Firefighters were called to the scene, 5800 N. Starr Road, by a passerby about 8:30 a.m., the department said in a news release.

No people or other structures were injured, but several chickens died in the fire. Proctor said there were horses on the property, but they were all safely in the pasture.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Jeff Smetzler, public information officer for the Spokane Valley Fire Department, said the fire department had been unusually busy over the holiday weekend. Monday’s barn fire was the third large blaze over the weekend.

“It’s definitely above average for us,” he said.

The other fires included an early Saturday morning blaze on E. 25th Avenue that started in a shop and moved into a home, displacing several residents and killing a dog. There was also a fire at a gas station on Barker Road on Sunday.