Tour Commander, 509.625.7100
Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 3:08 p.m.
At approximately 9:12 PM, Wednesday, June 23, the Spokane Fire Department (SFD) responded to a 911 call reporting a vehicle on fire in 3220 North Monroe Street parking lot. While the fire company was en route, Communication Specialists ascertained additional information that led them to believe the car was positioned close to the building and a threat to the structure. The incident was subsequently upgraded to a structure fire and summoned seven fire companies from six City Fire Stations.
The first company arrived in eight minutes and was faced with a car heavily involved in fire that was actively burning into the Pawn 1 building. Companies confirmed early in the incident that a moderate amount of fire and heat had entered the entirety of the building's roof and interior areas. As other companies arrived, they successfully extinguished the gasoline-fed vehicle fire and began to expose its mansard roof to access hidden areas of fire. Also, needing to check for extension of fire and search for victims, firefighters faced a challenging situation accessing the building as it was fortified for security. Nevertheless, the forcible entry was successful and required special tools and techniques to breach doors successfully and access the building safely.
Thirty-four firefighters responded to control the incident, and it was placed under control within 25 minutes after arrival. There were neither injuries to civilians nor firefighters as a result of the fire. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the SFD Special Investigation Unit.
