Fire damages north side garage

Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Chief, 509.625.7002

Wednesday, August 20, 2014 at 8:26 a.m.

Incident #: 2014042064#

Date of Incident: 08/16/2014

A homeowner who had been using a torch to burn weeds next to his garage accidentally set it on fire on Saturday afternoon, mistakenly thinking he had extinguished the weeds before leaving for lunch. Firefighters quickly put the fire out and limited the damage to two exterior walls and the roof.

Narrative: The Spokane Fire Department responded to a reported detached garage on fire at 102 West Amherst at 12:01 p.m. They found a one car detached garage on fire with smoke emitting from the roof with no other structures threatened. Crews quickly extinguished the fire and remained on scene for one hour overhauling the affected walls and roofing of the garage. There were no injuries.

Cause: The home owner returned to the scene after the fire had been extinguished. The owner stated to the Fire Department Investigator that he had previously burned off weeds with a propane torch behind the garage then left his residence to go out for lunch. The Spokane Fire Department Investigator has determined the physical evidence confirmed the fire started on the exterior of the garage at ground level where the weeds were burned off.

Damage: Portions of two exterior walls and the roof of the affected garage were damaged by the fire. Light smoke damage occurred inside the garage with no loss of personal property.

# Firefighters Responding: 18

Dollar Loss: $2000

Other Agencies Responding: Spokane Police Department for traffic control