Vacant house fire under investigation

Michele Anderson, Public Safety Communications Manager

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at 10:31 a.m.

Investigators with the Spokane Fire Department’s (SFD) Special Investigation Unit are investigating a house fire that occurred yesterday in the 1100 block of E. Glass Ave.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., the Spokane Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 1100 block of East Glass Ave. Reports to 9-1-1 indicated smoke and flames with possible explosion to a rear of a residence.

First arriving fire crews confirmed heavy fire from the rear of the structure. The fire was quickly located and extinguished in approximately 20 minutes, however, high outside temperatures slowed efforts to eliminate small fires in crawl spaces. Extra crews had to stay on scene to allow for rotations into the fire/work area to prevent dehydration and overheating. The last remaining crews left the scene approximately 5:30 p.m.

The house was vacant and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries.

The fire caused severe damage to the rear of the residence with smoke damage throughout.