Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Neighbors are first responders to home that was ablaze
Neighbors helped rescue an elderly couple from their home in the 12000 block of East Eighth Avenue the evening of June 22 as their home and some surrounding trees went up in flames.
The Spokane Valley Fire Department received a call for help at 7:14 p.m. from someone who reported a lot of flames coming from the back of the home as well as several trees on fire. When crews arrived, they found the garage on fire with flames spreading to the house and surrounding trees, department spokeswoman Julie Happy said.
A neighbor heard one of the residents calling for help and got them out of the home. They were both taken to a local hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. The Red Cross is assisting the residents.
Eighth Avenue was closed as crews fought the fire with the help of firefighters from Spokane County Fire District 8. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Other calls from June 21-27
June 21: A fire was reported in the wall of a home next to an air conditioning unit in the 18400 block of East Indiana Avenue at 8:39 a.m. The resident was able to put out the fire. Witnesses said that the wall next to the air conditioner in the adjacent unit on June 19, but the fire department was not called.
June 22: A diesel spill was reported at the Divine’s gas station in Liberty Lake at 8:55 a.m. A driver was putting diesel into his truck without knowing that it was spilling on the ground because someone had cut into the fuel tank in an attempt to steal fuel. Gas station employees and firefighters used absorbent to clean up the spilled diesel. A semi-truck fire was reported in the 18400 block of East Trent Avenue at 12:16 p.m. Both the front wheel and a lumber package on the vehicle’s trailer were on fire. Westbound traffic was blocked while the fire was put out.
June 23: Paramedics were called to stand by while the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office detonated blasting caps in the 24400 block of East Tum Tum Drive at 6:01 p.m. The caps were instead covered with concrete and the crew was released. An illegal fire was reported in the 500 block of South Koren Road at 9:18 p.m. The resident was burning firewood in a fire pit and said he was unaware of the current burn ban. He put the fire out with a garden hose.
June 24: An RV fire was reported in the parking lot of the Saltese Natural Area at 2:20 a.m. When crews arrived, they found a 20-foot RV trailer fully on fire with the flames spreading to nearby grass and vegetation. Both fires were put out, but the RV burned down to the frame. No one was inside the RV at the time.
June 25: Crews responded to a call that a car had been hit by a train in the 21900 block of East Trent Avenue at 4:39 p.m. A liquefied propane gas tank was leaking and the crossing poles, including electrical lines, were down. The leak was stopped and the driver of the car was able to get out of the vehicle on his own.
June 26: A malfunctioning bathroom fan sparked a small fire in a home in the 11100 block of East 10th Avenue at 3:43 p.m. Firefighters checked the attic to see if the fire had spread, but each could only spend a small amount of time in the attic because of the heat.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 462 calls the week of June 21-27, including 370 calls for emergency medical services. Additional calls included 20 car crashes, a man who got locked inside a bathroom when the door handle broke, a fire in landscaping bark that was started by a discarded cigarette and a possible house fire that turned out to be burnt food in the microwave.