On July 6, 2008 at approximately 1800 hours, the Spokane Fire Department dispatched Engine 1 for a reported brush fire in Liberty Park. Engine 1's officer Captain Mike Thompson reported a fire moving into heavy brush and climbing up the steep hill on the south side of the park. Additional apparatus were requested to extinguish the fire and stage towards the top of the hill. The companies at the top of the hill would be deployed if needed to protect the homes in this area. Resources sent to this fire included 3 brush engines, 3 structural engines, 1 aerial ladder and two command vehicles. The 24 responding firefighters knocked the main body of the fire down within 30 minutes. The fire was confined to the hillside brush and no structures were damaged.
During the overhaul operations, fire crews located what appeared to be a Military Claymore mine in the area that had just been burned. The working fire crews were backed away from the fire area and repositioned in a safe area within the park. SPD was called, and their Bomb Squad was brought in. The Fairchild Air Base provided two Bomb Technicians to assist SPD. The Bomb Technicians removed two items from the park while fire crews stood by. Both items were in a remote area of the park that had been isolated off from the public. At this time the exact cause of the fire has not been determined, but it does not appear that the two items found were related to the cause of the fire. No civilians or emergency personnel were injured at this incident.
PROBABLE CAUSE: Undetermined at this time
Click for raw video of a interview with Assistant Chief Brian Schaeffer
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