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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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AC unit caused fire that destroyed Avista Stadium concession building

A fire destroyed the main concession stand at Avista Stadium early on Friday, Sept. 5. Although the fire was in the city of Spokane Valley, crews from the Spokane Fire Department were first on scene and remained in charge of the effort battling it for the first several hours. (Courtesy of Spokane Indians)
By Garrett Cabeza garrettc@spokesman.com(509) 459-5135

The “failure” of an air conditioning unit caused the fire that destroyed Avista Stadium’s main concession building Friday, according to the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

The AC unit was used to cool the area above the walk-in cooler, where the fire started before spreading into the attic, fire department spokesman Patrick Erickson said. The fire was accidental, and no one was in the building when it broke out, he said.

The fire was first reported by passersby.

The building did not have fire protection or smoke detection systems, but Erickson said the concession stand did not require them and the building met fire codes.

The fire caused an estimated $2 million to $2.5 million in damages, according to a news release.

The Spokane Indians, who play their home games at the stadium, played their last home game of the season five days before the fire.

Fire crews responded around 2:45 a.m. to flames coming out the roof of the building, located west of the stadium, Battalion Chief Sean Barrett said at the scene. Firefighters entered the building initially but pulled out for safety reasons since it was unlikely anyone was inside, Barrett said.

The fire was contained to the concession building, Erickson said.

Indians President Chris Duff said Friday the organization is working with Spokane County and other entities “to work on the rebuild process for 2026.”

“Every partner that we’ve talked to is committed to helping us through this,” he said. “The support we’ve received has been overwhelming, and the timeline that everyone has set is opening day of 2026, so I feel confident that we’ve got a great team that’s already in motion, and they will work as efficiently as they can to get the project done in that time frame.”