SPOKANE, Wash. – The Spokane Fire Department (SFD) determined the cause of Sunday’s structure fire to be a tipped-over heater.
On Sunday, March 10, 2024, at 3:47 p.m., SFD received a call reporting smoke and fire issuing from a residence in the 2300 block of East Dalke Avenue.
Firefighters arrived on the scene within three minutes of the call and entered the house.
The fire was extinguished within five minutes and no one was injured.
After an investigation by a fire investigator from the Special Investigations Unit, it was determined that the fire originated from a portable heater in a basement bedroom.
The heater had been tipped over, likely by a pet belonging to the occupant, causing the futon and other contents of the room to catch fire.
While the fire damage was contained to the bedroom, significant smoke damage was evident throughout the rest of the home.
The estimated cost of damage amounted to $50,000, but the value of property that firefighters saved was estimated to exceed $350,000.
