Eight people, including two children, were displaced Monday following an apartment fire in the Hillyard neighborhood.
Firefighters responded to 2937 E. Decatur Avenue a little after noon. The attic in the four-unit complex was completely engulfed in flames.
Spokane Fire Department spokesperson Justin de Ruyter said the fire likely was caused from a tenant smoking on the porch in the upstairs unit. The cigarette was thrown into a plastic bucket, which caught on fire and quickly spread to a ceiling vent. The fast-paced, cold winds blowing Monday likely exacerbated the spread, he said.
The fire damaged all four apartments in the unit, de Ruyter said, and is estimated to cost $500,000 in repairs. Property records indicate the apartments were built in 1972 and are owned by Paul and Rebecca Lymberis of Kirkland, Washington.