SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – A Millwood house fire is under investigation after two children were found dead and a third person injured early on Monday morning.
In a press conference, Spokane Valley Fire Department media manager, Patrick Erickson, provided additional details about the incident.
According to Erickson, firefighters responded to a reported house fire on the 9800 block of east Dalton Avenue at around 2:40 a.m. on Oct. 30. On scene, there was visible fire, and firefighters learned two people may still be inside. The call was escalated to a second-alarm fire, and units from Spokane County Fire District 9 were dispatched for additional aid.
Firefighters made entry into the home and carried out a search, finding two children and carrying them outside.
Crews began life-saving measures, including 45 minutes of CPR, but neither child could be resuscitated. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Two dogs were also killed in the fire, and a third adult victim received minor injuries and was transported to hospital for further treatment. While initially reported to be the father of the children, Erickson said investigators were unable to confirm that at this time.
A firefighter was also injured in the house fire but is expected to recover.
The age and identities of the children is being withheld at this time. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the Spokane County coroner.
“It’s always a sad situation when you have a fire that involves a fatality, especially when it involves children,” Erickson said. “It hits the community hard, and it hits our guys hard too.
“This is personal for them. They take their job very seriously and to have a situation like this, where they respond and have to deal with the worst of the worst… They train for it, but obviously it’s going to be very difficult on everybody, and our hearts this morning are going to be with the family having to deal with this tragedy.”
The house was extensively damaged in the fire. It’s unclear at this time how long it was burning before it was called in, but crews were able to get the fire under control fairly quickly and eventually extinguish it.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, and the incident remains under investigation.
Updated: Oct. 30 at 8:30 a.m.
Two children were found dead and one person injured at an early morning house fire in Millwood on Monday.
At around 2:45 a.m. on Oct. 30, firefighters responded to a fire on east Dalton Avenue. According to Spokane Valley Fire Department, the first crews to arrive to the scene were told people were inside, and firefighters entered rescue mode. Three people were found unresponsive inside the house, two of whom were unresponsive.
CPR was started, but the children could not be resuscitated. The third victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and a firefighter also received minor injuries.
Crews were able to get the fire under control within 20 minutes of the initial call. The cause of the house fire remains under investigation.
