Fire Press Release

ISSUING OFFICER: Bob Green/Battalion Chief
DATE OF INCIDENT: 11/13/2008
INCIDENT TYPE: Structure Fire
INCIDENT ADDRESS: 1622 E Wellesley
CITY: Spokane
STATE: WA
ZIP: 99207

NARRATIVE: The Spokane City Fire Department dispatched two fire crews and their apparatus to 1622 E Wellesley, Rogers High School, at 8:12 in the evening on Thursday, November 13th, for a routine fire alarm system call. The first arriving fire crew was met at the school by school officials who happened to be there. The fire alarm system was sounding and the firefighters and the officials went to the alarm panel to determine where in the building the problem may be located. The enunciator information provided at the alarm panel led the firefighters to a part of the new building where it was obvious that no problem existed. Since the alarm system was not allowing itself to be re-set the fire crews continued to investigate the building for the cause of the alarm. Moving their investigation outside the main building, one of the firefighters picked up the familiar smell of burning wood in the area and followed that odor to one of the "portable" buildings just to the east of the main school building. By now the smoke was showing itself and beginning to spread, it was at this time that the Incident Commander requested a full alarm response to the school. At 8:51 the full alarm was sounded and additional resources were on their way. While the additional crews were responding the initial crews began to stretch hose lines to the building and started to make entry into the structure that was now starting to show visible fire in the attic area. As the additional crews were arriving on scene they were given assignments that included pulling down the ceilings in the portable classroom and cutting a trench in the roof. The combined efforts of the firefighting crews resulted in a rapid extinguishment of the fire that was located in the attic space and that was quickly beginning to spread through the light-weight structural members located in that small attic space. Damage was confined to one classroom of the two classroom "portable" building; the damage was mainly in the attic and on the west facing wall where the heating unit for the classroom is located. The amount of damage to the unit will make it unusable until repairs can be made. There were no reported injuries to any of the firefighters at the scene or to any civilians. The cause of the fire is being investigated by members of the Fire Dept.'s Special Investigation Unit with the focus of their investigation, at this time, to be the wall mounted heating unit of the structure.

PROBABLE CAUSE: Currently under investigation.
DAMAGE EXTENT: One classroom of the two classroom "portable" structure.
DOLLAR LOSS: 10,000
FIREFIGHTER RESPONSE: 23
MUTUAL AID: None Given

For more information on this release, please call (509)625-7002 and/or check out the SFD Blog at www.spokanefire.blogspot.com

END OF RELEASE