Fire press release

Basement Fire in Home

Incident #: 2013002293
Date of Incident: 01/14/2013
Issuing Officer: Craig Cornelius / Battalion Chief

Narrative:
On Monday, January 14th at 17:02 hours, the Spokane City Fire Dept. dispatched 6 fire apparatus to a reported house fire located at 1639 E. Glass Ave. The first arriving apparatus on scene was Ladder 2, responding from Fire Station 2 located at North Foothills Blvd and Nevada. Ladder 2’s Captain, reported a basement fire with smoke showing from the front door of the home. Station 2’s firefighters verified that all occupants were out of the home, but communicated over the radio that the family was unsure of the location of their dogs.
Command was established, and firefighters went to work. A hose line was advanced into the burning basement by Lt. Todd Chism and Firefighter Steven Harms, both off Engine 2. Other crews were simultaneously assigned to search the home for the missing dogs, secure a hydrant’s water supply and provide additional hose lines to curb the fire's extension while protecting crews working inside the home. Both a Safety Officer and a Rapid Intervention Team were established, and in place if needed.
Within 10 minutes, E2 reported that they had the fire knocked down in the basement. Two of the dogs had been accounted for and one was still missing. The fire was confined to the basement with heavy fire damage on this level of the home. The first floor of the home sustained smoke damage, but very little damage otherwise. Primary and secondary searches were made by fire crews, however, they were unable to account for the one missing dog which may be wandering somewhere in the neighborhood. Spokane’s Red Cross is assisting the displaced family. The Red Cross volunteers do a great job in helping Spokane families in time of need.

Cause:
The cause of this fire has been determined to be one, accidental in nature. Investigators found an electrical space heater that had been left too close to combustibles. The fire department wants to remind everyone the importance of monitoring portable electrical appliances and leaving an adequate clear space around them while they are in use.

Damage:
Extensive fire damage to contents in basement, smoke damage on first floor.

# Firefighters Responding: 21

Dollar Loss: $ 30,000

End Of Release
For more information on this release please call (509) 625-7002