Fire sends people jumping out of windows at North Spokane apartment complex

A fire gutted a north Spokane apartment building Saturday afternoon, sending at least seven people to the hospital.

Spokane Fire Department Battalion Chief and Incident Commander Michael Bacon said crews were called to the GoGo Heights apartments near Colton and Wedgewood about 3:45 p.m. by multiple witnesses.

Bacon said he was about 3 miles away at the time and could see a column of black smoke forming.

“It was going good,” he said of the fire.

The blaze happened so suddenly that a mother helped two of her children leap from a third-floor window, Bacon said.

The children were caught by people on scene and were not injured.

The mother then jumped and hurt her leg, Bacon said, and a firefighter also injured his leg.

Bacon said of the seven people taken to the hospital, one suffered serious injuries and may need to be transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, Bacon said.

Because the electricity needed to be turned off, Bacon said everyone in the affected building is temporarily displaced.

Firefighters will be on the scene all night to ensure the fire doesn’t restart.