Passers-by help limit damage from house fire

PULLMAN - A 100-year-old Pullman home was saved from major damage Wednesday morning when two people saw smoke coming from its attic and called firefighters.

According to the Pullman Fire Department, two local school district employees were instrumental in saving the house at 230 S.W. State St. Bob Hawley was driving to work when he saw the smoke and called 911 at 6:44 a.m. Lester Erwin was working at nearby Sunnyside School and heard the page since he serves as fire chief of Whitman County Rural Fire District 12, according to the fire department.

Erwin and Hawley went to the home to alert the owner and a downstairs renter that the house was on fire. Firefighters then managed to contain the fire to a storage attic.

Damage was limited to the attic and the ceiling of the second floor, according to the fire department. A damage estimate was not immediately available.

Fire prevention officer Rich Dragoo determined the fire was caused by an electrical short in the house, which was rewired about 10 years ago. The owner told firefighters she smelled smoke Tuesday, but didn't find its source. Dragoo said people who smell smoke in their residence should call the fire department, which can help determine if there is a problem.

The home's residents should be able to move back in since the house suffered only minor damage, according to the fire department.