Officials Identify Fire’s Starting Point

SPOKANE — Officials who previously identifed the source of the Valley View Fire last weekend as a recreational fire released the exact location where the blaze started on Tuesday.

Spokane Valley Deputy Fire Marshal Bill Clifford released Tuesday that the fire started in a lot located at 1825 S. Eastern Road, which is a vacant lot.

The fire was an “unapproved un-extinguished recreational fire” according to Bill Clifford, which was started by homeowner Tracy Berg Monday night and led to the destruction of 11 homes,  five outbuildings and five sheds.

Berg does not own the property where the fire was started and, according to County Assessor records, lives at 1915 S. Eastern. It’s not known whether or not Berg had prior approval from the parcel’s owner to be burning on their land.

What is known was that the fire was not properly extinguished and that last Thursday a Red Flag warning was issued for high winds and low humidity.

Those factors, combined with the improperly extinguished fire, led to the fire being reignited and spread to a nearby forested area. Fanned by gusting winds the fire moved uphill through brush and steep terrain.

To date the fire has cost an estimated $1.7 Million to extinguish.

The state mobilization on the fire is scheduled to end at midnight Tuesday and all fire crews that were dispatched to Spokane to help fight the fire will return to their fire departments by Wednesday.

Full containment on the Valley View Fire is expected by Thursday morning.