SPOKANE, Wash. — Five Gonzaga University athletes are displaced from their home near campus after a fire in the upstairs bathroom led to major damage on Monday afternoon.
Investigators said an accidental electrical failure caused the fire. According to the Spokane Fire Department (SFD), the fire sparked in the second floor bathroom of a home on East Augusta Avenue just before noon on Monday. SFD crews were able to knock the fire down within an hour and contain the damage to the top floor. However, the fire ultimately caused an estimated $125,000 in damage. Although all five students will now need temporary housing, SFD said they are all safe and were not injured.
SFD said two of the students were inside the home when they smelled smoke. They called 911 when the smoke detectors went off and everyone got out safely.
Neighbors who live directly behind the home couldn't help but worry.
"It was really stressful to see those flames and just thinking of the worst case scenario that's already happening to them," neighbor Shanleigh Sullivan said. "Like what if it jumps to our house? What if?”
Some of the women living in the home told KREM 2 they are members of the Gonzaga University women's soccer and volleyball teams. Since the department said the damage is too significant for them to return, the students will be staying with friends and teammates for now.
Investigators say the cause of the fire was accidental electrical failure.
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