Kellogg homes declared total losses following fire

Two Kellogg homes have been declared total losses following a fire that broke out early Thursday morning.

Shoshone County Fire District No. 2 Chief Mark Aamodt tells the News-Press that crews were dispatched to home at 130 W. Mullan Ave. around 2 a.m. when dispatch received a report of flames coming from the structure. The fire was initially reported by the residents of 130 Mullan when they came home to see the building ablaze.

By the time fire personnel arrived on-scene, not only was 130 Mullan completely engulfed, but flames had also jumped to the neighboring 128 Mullan home and the nearby power lines.

“The whole front-end of the original structure was well involved when we got there,” Aamodt said. “Our initial efforts were to protect the second structure, but there was only seven feet between the two.”

Working in collaboration with assisting personnel from SCFD No. 1 and Avista Utilities, SCFD No. 2 fire crews successfully kept the flames from spreading any further and extinguished the fires in both homes. In addition to a quick response, crews also benefited from the close proximity of the area’s fire hydrant. Crews left the scene around 11 a.m.

No injuries were reported as the original structure was not occupied at the time of the incident and the residents of the secondary structure were able to evacuate before the flames had spread too far.

Aamodt stressed the importance of working smoke detectors, as the ones in 130 Mullan were what alerted the residents of 128 Mullan that there was a fire.

Preliminary investigations of the incident have shown that the place of origin was the living room and the cause was electrical in nature. The full investigation is expected to be completed Friday.