A fire that destroyed a garage attached to an apartment and displaced two families in north Spokane late Monday morning was caused by illegal campers, according to investigators.
While crews with the Spokane Fire Department got a handle on the fire within about 10 minutes, the flames still caused an estimated $100,000 in damage, including direct damage to one unit and smoke damage to another.
An investigator determined the fire was caused by a candle used by homeless people camping in the garage. Occupants of the impacted units and neighbors told firefighters they had experienced issues with illegal camping over the past few weeks, including finding doors left open and candles on the garage floor.