CHATTAROY, Wash. — A fatal early morning house fire was caused by an electrical malfunction, according to Spokane County Fire District 4.
According to investigators, the fire started at an electrical outlet outside the Chattaroy home and quickly spread inside to the attic, fully engulfing the home. Fire crews arrived to the house and found two people inside. Medical personnel were able to get the two out of the home, but both were ultimately killed in the fire.
Just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, Fire District 4 crews responded to a house fire on North River Estates Drive in Chattaroy. The fire was reported by a neighbor, who was alerted to the fire when her dog began barking.
Crews arrived and immediately started searching the home. They quickly found a man at the back of the house and declared him dead at the scene. A woman was found near the front door of the house and taken to a nearby hospital, but later died due to her injuries.
Investigators later determined the fire started at a power outlet on the outside of the home. It spread from that outlet inside, up a wall and into the attic, according to the fire district. It was also learned the house did not have any working smoke detectors inside.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner will release the names of the victims at a later time.
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