SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. – A mobile home in Mead was destroyed in a fire Sunday afternoon which sent smoke high into the sky that could be seen miles away in north Spokane.
Officials with Spokane County Fire District 9 (SCFD 9) say the cause of the fire is still under investigation, adding that no one was hurt in the fire. Neighbors said the mobile home and its lot appeared to be vacant for quite some time.
Dramatic videos sent to NonStop Local by viewers on Sunday show flames shooting out of the single-wide mobile home located near the intersection of Farwell Rd. and Wilson St. in Mead, and a column of black smoke billowing in the air.
When firefighters arrived on scene around 4 p.m. they found more than just structure fire.
“Some of the grass, brush and trees surrounding the structure were also on fire,” SCFD 9 Assistant Chief Nathan Jeffries said in a Monday interview.
Jeffries said fire crews quickly extinguished the fire, but added the fact that the nearby brush caught fire isn’t out of the ordinary.
“A structure, when it’s on fire, puts off quite a lot of radiant heat,” Jeffries said. “So, you’ll see some of the grass and the trees and the brush catch on fire, even in the middle of winter.”
Jeffries said “pre-greenup fires,” which burn dead grass and brush left over from the year before, aren’t unusual for early spring.
“As soon as the green grass comes up through [the dead brush], it’s kind of like retardant to fire, and will actually act as a slowing of the fire season until we get to our typical summer time fire season,” he continued.
Now that it’s getting a little warmer outside, Jeffries said it’s a perfect time to get a head start on making your home more “fire wise.”
“Make sure you’re getting the pine needles off the roof, getting the defensible space, trees cut back a ways, getting the ladder fuels trimmed up on the trees,” Jeffries said. “This is the time of year to do all of that, before fire season is here,” Jeffries said.
For information on how to make your home more fire wise, visit the Washington Department of Natural Resources‘ website.
