Tour Commander, 509.625.7100
Monday, June 15, 2020 at 11:31 a.m.
The Spokane Fire Department (SFD) responded to an early morning fire on Friday, June 12 in a commercial warehouse in the 3800 block of East Rowan Avenue. The building's occupants noted smoke and an electrical odor coming from a portion of the building and went to investigate. They discovered that a malfunctioning light fixture had ignited combustible materials in the immediate vicinity. An adult male occupant utilized a dry chemical fire extinguisher in an attempt to extinguish the fire and suffered minor smoke inhalation. While the extinguisher had some impact, the agent was not sufficient to fully extinguish the fire. After the attempt, the occupants evacuated safely to the exterior of the building.
When SFD arrived, companies made entry to the structure to search for fire extension and to ensure the fire was fully extinguished. The building was searched to establish that all occupants had been safely evacuated. The electrical service to the building was rendered safe and verified by Avista. SFD Paramedics treated the individual who was suffering from smoke inhalation and eventually declined ambulance transport. There were no further injuries to either occupants or firefighters.
The fire's nature was determined to be accidental, and the cause was attributed to an electrical malfunction.
