Spokane Valley Fire roundup: Homeowner says someone set fire to trash near his fence and left
Most fire calls the Spokane Valley Fire Department responds to are of accidental incidents, whether its faulty wiring or a sparking power line, but some are not.
A fire was reported in the 900 block of South Pierce Road at 11:02 p.m. Oct. 27. The homeowner showed firefighters a smoldering pile of trash next to his fence and said he saw someone light the pile on fire and then leave through the yards of several of his neighbors.
The fire was put out before it caused significant damage.
The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate the incident.
Other calls Oct. 25-31
Oct. 26: A four-vehicle crash was reported at East Montgomery Avenue and North Woodruff Road at 11:55 a.m. Crews had to extricate the driver of a pickup truck. An oven fire was reported in the area of North Holl Boulevard and East Knox Avenue at 5:12 p.m.
Oct. 27: A small brush fire was reported on the eastbound side of Interstate 90 near exit 291 at 10:07 a.m. The fire was moving slowly through grass and trees when crews arrived. The fire was put out. A fire alarm sounded at First Interstate Bank on East Sprague Avenue at 11:26 p.m. Light smoke was found in the building, but no fire was found. The smoke was traced to a faulty furnace. A water flow alarm was reported at Convoy Building Supply at 11:46 p.m. The sprinkler system was shut off.
Oct. 28: A water flow alarm sounded at Convoy Building Supply at 6:47 a.m. It was determined to be a false alarm, but while crews were still there, the alarm sounded again. A fire alarm sounded at an apartment complex in the 200 block of South Conklin Road at 9:35 a.m. Visual and audible alarms were sounding when crews arrived and some residents had evacuated. It was determined that a heat gun used near a fire sprinkler head had set off the sprinkler system. One apartment was damaged by water, which flowed downward into three garages. A snapped power pole was reported in the 9700 block of East Sprague at 6:46 p.m. after a semitruck backed into the power pole, snapping it. Power was out in the area. Modern Electric was notified.
Oct. 30: A two-vehicle, head-on collision was reported at East Trent Avenue and North Flora Road at 4:14 p.m. One driver was initially reported to be trapped, but no extrication was necessary. A fire alarm sounded at an apartment complex in the 12800 block of East Mansfield Avenue at 10:45 p.m. No fire was found. A 911 caller reported the alarm had been set off by a jack-o-lantern.
By the numbers: Crews responded to 382 calls the week of Oct. 25-31, including 308 calls for emergency medical services. Other calls included 19 car crashes and a suspected fire that turned out to be smoke coming from a home’s chimney.
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Correspondent Nina Culver can be reached at nculver47@gmail.com.