Fire Press Release

ISSUING OFFICER: Battalion Chief Bob Green
DATE OF INCIDENT: 7/16/2007
INCIDENT TYPE: Structure Fire
INCIDENT ADDRESS: 2329 E 7th Avenue
CITY: Spokane
STATE: WA
ZIP: 99202

NARRATIVE: The Spokane City Fire Department dispatched fire fighting crews and fire apparatus to 2329 E 7th Avenue on a reported structure fire at 0838 hrs. on Monday morning, July 16th. The first arriving fire company on scene reported heavy smoke coming from the rear of a single story wood/frame residence. That initial company pulled pre-connected hose leads from their fire apparatus and made immediate entry into the front door of the residence in an effort to quickly locate the seat of the fire and attempt to get it knocked down. Neighbors told subsequently arriving fire crews that they believed the tenant was still inside the structure so a primary and a secondary search of the structure were undertaken while the fire was being attacked from the inside and ventilation efforts were started both on the interior and on the roof. The two searches inside the structure found that no one was in the home at the time of the fire. The whereabouts of the lone tenant who resides at this address was unknown. Aggressive interior fire fighting by the members of the first arriving fire crews resulted in a quick knock down of the fire that was located in a bedroom and helped limit the further spread of the fire into other areas of the structure. There were no reported injuries to any of the responding City firefighters or to any civilians. A total of 25 fire fighters on 7 pieces of fire apparatus and 1 Command vehicle responded to this fire. The fire damage inside the structure was limited to a bedroom, bathroom, part of the living room, and some of the roof structural members in those damaged areas. Smoke damage was throughout the building and there was some amount of water damage from the water that was used to extinguish the morning fire. The cause of this fire is currently under investigation by officials of the Spokane City Fire Department. Fire fighters at this fire scene noted that there was a non-working smoke detector present in the residence and, as always, that information causes fire fighters to become concerned for their fellow citizens' safety. These fire fighters want to remind everyone in the greater Spokane area to check the smoke detector batteries in your own home twice yearly (at least) to insure that you and your family members will get that early warning of a fire that may possibly be the difference between a safe exit from the building or incurring serious or even deadly injuries.
PROBABLE CAUSE: The fire is currently under investigation by officials of the Spokane City Fire Department.
DAMAGE EXTENT: The fire gutted 1 bedroom, damaged an adjacent bathroom, part of the living room, and some structural members of the roof system.
DOLLAR LOSS: 20,000
FIREFIGHTER RESPONSE: 25
MUTUAL AID: None Given