Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Body spray triggers hotel room’s fire alarm
Smoke alarms aren’t always triggered by smoke. In the right circumstances, they are triggered by steam or other substances. This week, it was apparently body spray that set off a fire alarm at a Spokane Valley hotel.
Crews arrived at the Fairfield Inn in the 8900 block of East Mission Avenue at 7:59 a.m. Feb. 1 to find the alarm system was indicating a smoke detector activation in a second-floor room. Firefighters used a key to access the room, only to find a haze in the air and the smell of body spray, said fire department spokeswoman Julie Happy.
The room’s residents were not present, but one smoke detector had been ripped from the ceiling and another had been covered with a bag. There was no evidence of a fire and the room was ventilated.
Other calls
Feb. 1: A fire was reported in the 2600 block of North Bowdish Road at 10:07 a.m. Crews found a homeowner with a fire in a burn barrel, which is illegal. The homeowner put the fire out. A caller reported seeing a fire under an overpass in the 9600 block of East Trent as well as possible explosions at 6:45 p.m. Crews found a fire that included trash, a blanket and a pillow on the east side of the railroad tracks. The fire was put out.
Feb. 2: A Rescue Task Force team was sent to accompany the Sheriff’s Office SWAT team as they served a high-risk warrant in the 13700 block of East Heroy Avenue at 5:34 a.m. The team was not needed. A possible fire was reported at a commercial building in the 12600 block of East Mirabeau Parkway at 2:12 p.m. It was determined a motor in an HVAC unit created smoke and a burning smell.
Feb. 3: A Rescue Task Force team was called to accompany the Sheriff’s Office as they served a warrant in the 11400 block of East Broadway Avenue at 5:21 a.m. The team was not needed.
Feb. 4: Bushes were reported on fire in a backyard in the 11800 block of East Main Avenue at 1:26 a.m. Crews found a row of about two dozen 24-foot-tall arborvitaes at the back of the property and seven were burning. The fire was put out. The homeowner said he didn’t know how the fire started. A dumpster fire was reported in the Shopko parking lot in the 13400 block of East Sprague Avenue at 5:57 a.m. The fire was put out, but the dumpster was damaged. A CO detector alarm summoned crews to a home near Evergreen Road and 23rd Avenue at 8:58 p.m. Crews detected levels of up to 33 ppm. The home was ventilated and Avista was called. The residents evacuated safely.
Feb. 5: A report of a car crashing through a fence and hitting a house was received from the 15400 block of East 24th Avenue at 7:14 a.m. Two people walked into Station 4 at 2:50 p.m. to report a neighbor had an illegal fire. Crews responded to the address in the 5300 block of North Arden Road and found the homeowner burning yard waste, which is illegal. The fire was put out.
Feb. 6: A caller reported smoke billowing in the 11200 block of East Fourth Avenue at 5:42 p.m. When crews arrived, they saw smoke coming from a chimney. The homeowner said he was using his wood fireplace.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 357 calls the week of Feb. 1-7, including 303 for emergency medical services. Other responses included 14 car crashes and a portable garage that blew away and got hung up on a fence and a cable wire.