Natural gas meter, garbage, catches fire near West Central Jolly Mart

An early-morning garbage fire led to a natural gas meter also igniting, causing damage to a Jolly Mart in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood early Monday morning.

Firefighters responded to the Jolly Mart at 2501 W. Boone Ave. at about 6:30 a.m. after reports of a rubbish fire, according to the Spokane Fire Department.

There they found a large pile of burning rubbish and a natural gas meter with flames moving toward the Jolly Mart.

A full fire response was requested due to the involvement of the gas meter. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and were able to shut off the natural gas. Only the exterior of the Jolly Mart was damaged.

Avista responded to assess and fix the damage to the gas meter. No firefighters or civilians reported injuries, the fire department said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation Monday.