Justin de Ruyter, Spokane Fire PIO, jderuyter@spokanecity.org
Monday, November 24, 2025 at 3:40 p.m.
At 12:14 a.m. today, the Spokane Fire Department, with assistance from Spokane County Fire District 9, was dispatched to the 4000 block of West Rowan Avenue for reports of a house fire with occupants trapped inside the basement. Engine 16 from the Northwest neighborhood, which was clearing a nearby medical call, arrived within five minutes of the alarm and reported a single-story residence with flames visible from a basement window.
Firefighters entered through the front door and quickly located a disoriented adult female, assisting her to safety outside. Attempts to access the basement via the interior stairwell were initially hampered by heavy smoke and intense heat. Additional crews applied water from the exterior to cool the fire room, allowing interior firefighters to advance down the stairwell. Upon reaching the basement bedroom where the fire originated, crews located an 11-year-old boy, who was removed through a basement window and pronounced deceased at the scene. Two dogs and a cat were also found deceased during subsequent searches.
Investigators determined that the child and his grandmother had been sleeping in the basement bedroom when she awoke to a small fire in the corner of the room. She attempted to smother the fire with clothing and locate the child, but was quickly forced out by heavy smoke and rapidly growing flames. She managed to escape via the stairs and alert three other children and the child’s mother on the main floor, who were able to evacuate safely. Engine 16 arrived shortly thereafter and found the grandmother disoriented inside the home.
The grandmother was treated on scene for smoke inhalation but declined hospital transport. The child’s mother was transported for evaluation and later released. The Red Cross is assisting three adults and three children displaced by the fire.
Spokane Fire Department investigators were assisted by the Spokane Police Department and the Spokane County Fire District 4 arson dog and handler, as is standard practice in fatal fire investigations. Fire investigators have determined that the fire was incendiary in nature, caused by the deceased child igniting combustible materials.
The Spokane Fire Department urges residents to recognize the importance of early intervention. Children who have a history of playing with or igniting fires should be referred to our Youth Fire-Setting Prevention Program at 509-625-7058.
