Mother of two recalls close call with neighbors' fire

POST FALLS - A mother and her two children awoke to an orange glow

shining through their bedroom windows this morning.

Just a few feet away, a fire had engulfed a carport and side of the

home next door.

"Flames were rolling up the carport," said Carolyn Gades. "The fire

cracked the windows and melted the frames."

Gades and her two boys, ages 4 and 6, exited safely, along with the

renters of the home, William Evans and Brittany Gray, where the fire

occurred at about 6:20 a.m. at 103 E. First Ave. across Spokane Street

from the city water tower.

A dog and cat at the rental home, owned by the Red Lion Corporation,

were also rescued from the home.

The fire destroyed the carport, spread to the attic and also caused

damage to a side of the home and storage shed.

Jim Lyon, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue spokesman, said cigarette

butts and a lighter were found in a garbage can in the carport and are

the probable cause.

Miscellaneous items were destroyed, but nothing with significant

value, Lyon said. Most of the contents inside the home were salvaged.

The renters did not have renter's insurance. The American Red Cross is

assisting the two.

Firefighters cut a rotted tree next to the carport to fight the fire

and prevent it from spreading next door.