Heater suspected in house fire
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| Debbie Weland photo |
Officer Willie Cowell, while on routine patrol, saw the fire at 6320 Arizona Street and requested fire and ambulance crews at 7:14 a.m. Sunday, informing dispatch that the upper floor appeared engulfed and that he'd heard several explosions.
Moments earlier, neighbor Brad Woodward heard screams for help and ran to assist, finding upstairs occupant Jackie Woods hanging out a second floor window he'd broken to escape the flames. Woodward grabbed a ladder and held it as Woods climbed down to safety.
Immediately on arrival, Cowell entered the home and was able to search and clear the first floor, but he and a sheriff's deputy who arrived to assist were unable to gain access to the second floor to see if anyone else was trapped due to the heat and smoke.
Woods was transported by Boundary Volunteer Ambulance to Boundary Community Hospital for lacerations and smoke inhalation; he was later transported to the Intensive Care Unit at Kootenai Medical Center.
After Bonners Ferry fire fighters set up and the scene secured, officer Cowell was also taken to Boundary County Hospital, where he was treated and released for smoke inhalation.
Once on scene, fire crews were able to quickly contain the fire and determine that no one else was inside the duplex, though they remained on scene for several hours extinguishing the blaze and mopping up hot spots. According to Bonners Ferry Fire Chief Pat Warkentin, it appears likely the the fire was started on the second floor by a gas space heater.
"It's still being looked at," he said, "but early signs are that the space heater is the point of origin. We were able to contain the fire to the second floor, but the first floor sustained significant smoke and water damage."
According to neighbors, the family occupying the first floor was out of town visiting family for the weekend.