A fire that started early Wednesday destroyed an elderly couple’s home in Spokane Valley.
The call at 4111 S. Conifer Court came in around 6:09 a.m. Complicating matters was a trailer fire behind the house, seemingly unrelated to the house fire, according to Spokane Valley fire marshal Greg Rogers.
Bill Burtenshaw said his wife woke him up early Wednesday morning, saying she heard something in the house. He went into the kitchen to check and the kitchen was on fire, he said. The couple has lived there for decades.
Rogers said the fire started at the back of the house and spread into the attic.
Neighbor Judy Dufford said another of her neighbors came over and woke her up.
“I could see out my back window and the shrubs were red. I thought, ‘the shrubs are not red yet,’” Dufford said.