fbpx

Kalispell Home Damaged by Unattended Fire

Fire on Sixth Avenue West caused more than $45,000 in damage on Tuesday

By Justin Franz

A Kalispell home was damaged in a fire early Tuesday after an unattended campfire spread overnight, according to the city’s fire department.

The fire was first reported just before 8 a.m. Tuesday and caused about $45,000 worth of damage to the exterior and attic of the home at 715 Sixth Ave. West, according to Kalispell Fire Chief Dave Dedman. The two-story structure was split into two apartments.

No one was injured in the incident.

The preliminary investigation suggests that one of the residents had a recreational campfire Monday night that was not properly extinguished. Overnight, the fire spread to some brush near the house and then burned the siding of the house and spread to the attic.

The Kalispell Fire Department, Smith Valley Fire Department, Evergreen Fire Department and the Kalispell Police Department all responded to the fire.

Dry, warm conditions have fueled several fires throughout the Flathead Valley in recent weeks. Last week a fire took off near Somers at a salvage yard. Investigators believe an employee had been burning brush earlier in the day and, though he extinguished the fire, it may have rekindled, leading to the large fire.