SPOKANE, Wash. — UPDATED at 2:39 p.m. An 11-year-old boy died in a house fire early Monday morning after investigators say he ignited combustible materials in a basement bedroom where he was sleeping with his grandmother.
The first calls to 911 came in around 12:15 am Monday for the fire in the 4000 block of West Rowan Avenue, the child’s grandmother’s home.
Spokane Fire Department spokesman, Justin DeRuyter, says the boy and his grandmother were sleeping in the basement. The mother says her wife and three daughters were upstairs. DeRuyter says the grandmother got out and alerted the others of the fire, but because of the heavy smoke, she could not find the boy.
The boy’s mother told a reporter at the scene that her son has autism and initially believed he had accidentally started the fire.
Investigators later confirmed the boy ignited combustible materials.
The boy’s grandmother was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but declined to be taken to a hospital. His mother was transported for evaluation and later released.
DeRuyter also says two dogs and one cat died in the fire.
Mayor Lisa Brown issued a statement Monday afternoon:
“We are mourning the loss of a Spokane child whose life was taken in a house fire early this morning. The City of Spokane extends its deepest condolences to the family members and loved ones grieving in the aftermath of this tragedy. Our thoughts are with them as they navigate this unimaginable time.”
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