Man dies in house fire near Eloika Lake

A man is dead after fire and explosions leveled a house and an outbuilding near Eloika Lake Saturday night. “There were lots of explosions from ammunition that was stored in the house,” said Spokane County Fire District 4 spokeswoman Megan Hill. “That was what alerted the neighbors. They heard explosions before they saw the flames or the smoke.” So many people called 911 to report the flames that firefighters were initially sent to two locations, the home at 42327 N. Sundance Road and another location on Lake Shore Road. “It didn’t take dispatch long to figure out it was the same thing,” Hill said. The home and another building were completely engulfed in fire when crews arrived and the home had collapsed. Firefighters struggled to put out the stubborn flames. “We couldn’t even get into the house to look for anybody for two hours,” Hill said. The body of a man, who has not been positively identified, was found inside. Pend Oreille County Fire District 3 sent a tender and three firefighters to assist in fighting the fire. Crews did not leave the scene until 4:30 a.m. today. Investigators from Spokane County Fire District 9 and Spokane Valley Fire Department are currently investigating the cause of the fire.