A woman died in a Christmas-morning fire that destroyed a mobile home in West Central Spokane, the Spokane Fire Department said.
Firefighters were called to the Sans Souci West park at 3231 W. Boone Ave. around 4 a.m. Thursday. Neighbors said they were alerted to the fire by shouting and a large pop. Many credited a Spokesman-Review newspaper carrier for alerting them to the blaze.
“He was right here at the right time,” said Kameron McLean, who lives across the street from the home that caught fire. Police and firefighters were picking through scorched aluminum siding and insulation early Thursday, trying to determine a cause of the fire.
McLean said the occupant, who hasn’t been identified by authorities pending an autopsy, had just received a shipment of firewood the day before. McLean credited firefighters for a quick response that kept the fire from spreading to nearby homes, clustered together on the former site of Natatorium Park along the banks of the Spokane River.
“There are so many older people here, it causes a concern,” said McLean. The park is designed for residents age 55 and older.
Spokane Fire Department spokesman Brian Schaeffer said the woman’s body was found after firefighters were able to gain access to the building. Reports of another possible victim were later found to be untrue, Schaeffer said.
Police and firefighters remained on-scene through Thursday morning. The Spokane medical examiner’s office had not released the victim’s identity by Thursday evening.
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