Firefighters extinguish fully engulfed home in Spokane Valley, man arrested on suspicion of arson

Mar. 29—Firefighters extinguished a fire in an unoccupied home near the border of Spokane Valley and Spokane on Wednesday morning after neighbors said they saw a "suspicious" man walking away from the building, according to the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

Firefighters from the Spokane Valley and Spokane fire departments responded at 9:45 a.m. and found a fully engulfed home at 419 S. Chronicle Rd., Spokane Valley Fire Department spokesman Patrick Erickson said. Firefighters extinguished the flames within about 20 minutes, he said.

However, the fire burned into the second floor of the home and roof, leading to a partial collapse, Erickson said. The home was a total loss.

Two neighbors reported seeing smoke coming from the home Wednesday morning, Erickson said. One of the neighbors reported seeing a man leaving the home with a fan and blankets, according to a release from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. Witnesses also told sheriff's deputies that they saw the man inside of the home before the fire started, the sheriff's office said.

Spokane Valley deputies contacted the man, identified as Matthew M. Jones, 31, a few blocks north of the scene, near Sprague Avenue and Custer Road. Jones was arrested on suspicion of second-degree arson and residential burglary, the sheriff's office said.

No one was injured, Erickson said. Attempts to reach the homeowners were not successful as of 12:30 p.m., he said.

The fire was located about three blocks east of the border between the city of Spokane and Spokane Valley, which prompted both municipal fire departments to respond to the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.