Tour Commander, 509.625.7100
Monday, August 23, 2021 at 5:36 p.m.
On Sunday, August 22, 2021, at 2:22 PM, Spokane Fire Department (SFD) responded to a report of a house on fire in the 1300 Block of East Nebraska Avenue.
The first arriving company reported on-scene within two minutes of being dispatched. Their initial report indicated that the two-story home was well-involved in fire on three of the structures' four sides. Additionally, they encountered a critically burned adult woman in the front yard and another adult woman severely burned in the crowd of neighbors forming around the scene. As a result, the incident was upgraded, and the incident commander made a special request for additional AMR ambulances.
Due to the immediate need for the rescue of the adult female with critical burns, initial arriving companies successfully removed her from the growing fire. They relocated her to an area of refuge so that SFD Paramedics could begin critical care interventions. While the main fire had already spread to both floors, extreme heat from the original fire had spread to the residences on both sides (east and west) of the fire building. Large master streams were quickly deployed to protect the adjacent homes while other companies fought through the flames on the main floor of the original fire building to search for missing occupants.
Several companies were needed to suppress active fire and explosions from two cars in the front yard and remaining fire from the first floor before firefighters could search the structure for survivors. After a vent-enter-search technique was employed from the outside through a window, firefighters located two deceased victims. The incident was placed under control just an hour after it was dispatched.
The SFD was able to save two homes immediately threatened. While dollar-loss estimates were not yet available, the main structure was a total loss. There were no reported injuries to SFD personnel.
The nature of the fire was determined to be accidental. The cause was identified as discarded smoking material. The fire's origin was a couch located on the front porch oftentimes used while smoking.
Those lost as a result of the fire include:
The remaining displaced family members are receiving assistance from the Greater Inland Northwest Chapter of the American Red Cross.
