Window air conditioner caused South Hill fire that seriously injured man

A lower South Hill house fire that left a man critically injured Monday started from a window air conditioner plugged into an unsuitable power source, according to the Spokane Fire Department.

The air conditioner was plugged into an extension cord, which was connected to a power strip, fire investigators said in a news release.

Firefighters were called Monday morning to the blaze at 817 S. Sherman St. and found a fire on the first floor extending into the second story and attic. Crews searched the home and found an unconscious man on the first floor, an original fire department news release said.

Justin de Ruyter, fire department spokesman, said firefighters rescued the man out of a window and he was taken in critical condition to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center a few blocks away.

The man’s condition was not known Tuesday.

Crews extinguished the fire that caused extensive damage, leaving both residences in the duplex uninhabitable, de Ruyter said.

The fire department reminded residents that air conditioners and space heaters should be plugged directly into a wall outlet. Extension cords and power strips are not designed to handle the amount of electricity those appliances use, and they can overheat and cause a fire.