Fire roundup:Car fire, heart attacks, house fire all reported within minutes
It was another busy time for the Spokane Valley Fire Department the week of Aug. 24-30, with firefighters responding to six calls within minutes of each other on one of those days.
Things started at 4 p.m. on Aug. 26. The first report was of a car fire on Argonne Road, then an emergency medical services call followed by a vehicle accident involving a car on fire on East Broadway Avenue. The department then received two calls for heart attacks with CPR in progress and less than a minute after that, a call for a house fire on East 23rd Avenue.
The car fire on Argonne was quickly put out, and the occupants of the car were not harmed. Crews from Spokane Fire and Spokane County Fire Districts 8 and 9 arrived to assist with the house fire in the 10900 block of East 23rd Avenue.
The cause of the fire was traced to a vaping pen that was plugged into its charger and had become covered by bedding. The bedding and mattress caught on fire.
The most serious fire of the week was a two-alarm fire in a commercial building in the 4700 block of East Sprague Avenue at 6:13 p.m. Saturday. There were two buildings located side by side. One of the buildings, which was full of trash, was consumed. Crews were able to keep the fire from spreading to the second building.
Other calls Aug. 24-30
Aug. 24: Workers from a paving company cut a natural gas line in the area of Dishman Road and Sprague at 10:37 a.m. Crews were called to a 4-month-old baby accidentally locked inside a car in the 1100 block of North Reese Lane at 3:21 p.m. Firefighters worked for several minutes to safely get inside the car, but had to break a window in order to rescue the infant. Crews were called to a burning garage in the 2800 block of North Johnson Court at 5:07 p.m. The flames had spread to a nearby home and there were initial reports that a child was missing. Crews learned the missing child had been found quickly and was safe. The Red Cross is assisting the family. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Aug. 25: A fire was reported in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 21000 block of East Country Vista Drive at 3:18 p.m. A lawn maintenance employee had tried to add gas to a lawn mower without turning it off and the mower caught on fire, with flames spreading to the nearby grass. The employees used dry chemical fire extinguishers to put the fire out before crews arrived.
Aug. 26: A broken natural gas line was reported in the 5400 block of North Drury Road at 11:37 a.m. Avista was able to shut down the flow of gas.
Aug. 28: One car rear-ended another car on 32nd Avenue at Bowdish Road at 2:21 p.m. The driver who hit the car ran away, followed a bystander. The bystander reported the man’s location to police, who arrested him after a seven-hour standoff. The man had broken into an unoccupied home with weapons inside. An additional crew was on standby during the standoff in the 2800 block of South Bates Road but was not needed.
Aug. 30: Smoke was seen coming from a pile of burned debris in the 4700 block of East Sprague Avenue at 11:25 a.m. The site was the location of a two-alarm fire the day before. Smoke and flames were seen coming from a pile of debris. The pile was wetted down and the fire put out.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 334 calls the week of Aug. 24-30, including 260 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses include several illegal backyard fires, 16 car crashes, a cooking fire and a request from ATF to assist with the disposal of some materials.