Brian Schaeffer, Assistant Chief, 509.625.7002
Friday, September 5, 2014 at 8:20 a.m.
Incident #: 2014045636
Date of Incident: 09/04/2014
A fire in an electrical vault damaged a north Spokane restaurant last night and forced the evacuation of its occupants. Firefighters used extinguishers to contain the fire to the electrical vault until Avista could shut off power to the Tomato Street Restaurant. No one was injured.
Narrative: Last night, the Spokane Fire Department responded at approximately 9:10 p.m. to 6220 North Division on a reported structure fire. Restaurant occupants were evacuating the building and smoke was showing from the northeast corner of the Tomato Street when firefighters arrived. Further investigation found fire coming from an electrical vault located outside the structure on the northeast corner. Firefighters used several dry powder extinguishers to prevent the fire from spreading to the building or to a near-by natural gas line and meter. Avista shut down the power to the building at the power pole, helping firefighters to keep the fire from extending into the restaurant.
Cause: The cause of the fire is under investigation by the SFD Special Investigation Unit.
Damage: Fire damage was confined to the electrical vault and its associated wiring.
# Firefighters Responding: 27
Dollar Loss: Unknown
Other Agencies Responding: Avista
