Medical examiner ID’s 11-year-old who died in North Spokane house fire

The Spokane County Medical Examiner identified a young boy who died in his home Tuesday after he was suspected of setting a fire in his bedroom.

The medical examiner identified the boy as 11-year-old Jhasoni Wilson. His cause and manner of death are pending.

Callers reported a fire around 12:20 a.m. Tuesday inside a home at 4030 W. Rowan Ave. near the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center. Flames were erupting from the home’s basement window.

Firefighters were told Wilson’s grandmother had woken up, attempted to put the fire out and looked for him. When fire crews entered through the front door, they found Wilson’s grandmother disoriented inside before escorting her to safety.

She alerted three other children and their mother on the main floor. They escaped and are being helped by the Red Cross.

Firefighters had to hose down the inside of the home before entering the basement because it was too hot, smoky and dangerous, according to a Spokane Fire Department news release.

When entering the basement, they found the young boy deceased and removed his body through the basement window.

“Fire investigators have determined that the fire was incendiary in nature, caused by the deceased child igniting combustible materials,” the fire department wrote in a release.

The day before, firefighters had responded to a report of a mattress on fire in northwest Spokane. It was found a 10-year-old boy was playing with a lighter in his bedroom and accidentally caught the mattress on fire.

“We urge parents and caregivers to watch for behaviors that indicate curiosity or attraction to fire,” the department said in a separate news release.

The fire department encourages caregivers that see these behaviors in children to refer them to the Youth Fire-Setter Prevention Program at (509) 625-7058.