Editor's note: Original media sources reported the fire was located in the city of Cheney. The fire was actually 5-6 miles northeast in West Terrace.
SPOKANE COUNTY — The occupants of a home in the West Terrace neighborhood avoided what could have been a more catastrophic fire after placing a precautionary call to emergency services early Friday morning.
The occupants on the 7700 block of Blackberry Street just southeast of the Interstate 90, Medical Lake interchange, dialed 911 after suspecting a fire in their bathroom fan, according to Spokane County Fire District 3 Division Chief Dustin Flock,
A fire attack crew was dispatched from Station 33 in Four Lakes at 4:28 a.m., arriving at the home eight minutes later, only to find no obvious fire.
It wasn’t until Flock conducted an outside assessment that he noticed flames emerging from the roof near a plumbing vent.
By that time additional staff and volunteer fire fighters had arrived with more fire apparatus and fire crews ripped into the bathroom ceiling to expose and attack the seed of the fire, Flock said.
Crews also removed a portion of the roof as well.
The fire was fully extinguished by 4:45 a.m., Flock said.
“There was no interior damage to main part of structure,” Flock said, estimating that 35 percent of the attic space was damaged.
The homes two adult occupants, their two dogs and one cat were unharmed.
The home, however, is currently unlivable, according to Flock.
Station 33 is currently District 3’s only fire station fully staffed around the clock.
Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.
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