Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Meat smoker, dust lead to false alarms
There are always false fire alarms for crews from the Spokane Valley Fire Department to respond to. In the past, automated alarms have been set off by everything from steam to dust to excessive perfume use. Sometimes the false alarms come from people who believe they see or smell a fire. This week the department responded to both.
A neighbor in the 16000 block of East Valleyway called 911 at 1:36 p.m. March 22 to report seeing smoke coming from a neighbor’s home. However, when crews arrived to check, they found the homeowner had a properly working barbecue smoker going in their backyard.
A fire alarm sounded at Cabinet Systems in the 4200 block of North Best Road at 8:40 a.m. March 24. When crews arrived, employees said the alarm had been set off by dust. The crew confirmed there was no issue.
Other calls March 21-28
March 22: A crew on their way to another location at 6:17 a.m. spotted a column of smoke in the Pinecroft Mobile Home Park in the 11900 block of East Mansfield Avenue. They found a large motor home with flames coming from the windows and top of the vehicle. A man said everyone had gotten out of the motor home. The fire was put out.
March 25: Crews were called to a possible natural gas leak at a two-story office building in the 200 block of North Mullan Road at 9:42 a.m. An odd odor was noticed in two of the offices, but equipment did not register any hazardous gases. A possible illegal fire was reported in the 600 block of North Flora Road at 7:01 p.m. Crews found several people standing around a fire pit burning dimensional lumber and trash. They put the fire out when they were told it was illegal to burn those things. A woman called from an apartment complex in the 15700 block of East Fourth Avenue at 10:30 p.m. to report a strong propane smell on her balcony. An investigation determined a barbecue with its propane on was on the ground floor patio underneath her balcony. No one was at home in that apartment, so crews turned off the propane.
March 27: A neighbor called to report smoke in the 10700 block of East 32nd Avenue at 6:52 p.m. Arriving crews saw a large column of smoke. The homeowner had a fire in his backyard fire pit that he was using to burn green branches from an arborvitae. The man was told that he could not burn yard waste.
March 28: A possible illegal fire was reported in the 7300 block of East Ninth Avenue at 1:24 p.m. The man was burning unseasoned firewood from a downed tree. He was advised to burn dry, seasoned firewood and to not have an outdoor fire during a windstorm. A possible illegal fire was reported in the area of North Rees Lane and East Sharp Avenue at 7:03 p.m. Several people were burning construction debris in a fire pit. They were advised that it was illegal.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 343 calls the week of March 21-28, including 273 calls for emergency medical services. Other responses included 20 car crashes, three fire alarms set off by burned food and a 2-year-old child accidentally locked inside a bedroom.
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Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com