Chattaroy house fire victims identified

The Spokane County Medical Examiner has identified the couple who died in a house fire in Chattaroy last week.

Nyla Johnson, 83, died from burns sustained in the fire, the medical examiner’s office ruled. The cause in the death her husband, 84-year-old William Johnson, is still pending.

Firefighters responded to the blaze on North River Estates Drive, according to a Fire District 4 news release. A neighbor phoned 911 after their dogs began barking. The neighbor looked outside and saw their neighbors’ home on fire, the district said.

Crews arrived within six minutes and found flames throughout the home, and power lines on the ground at the back of the home. Investigators determined the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical malfunction.

The fire started at an exterior electrical outlet at the back of the home and spread in the wall and along the exterior of the wall into the attic space. The fire traveled through the attic space into the rest of the house.

No working smoke alarms were found in the home.