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Firefighters quickly extinguish fire at apartment building where neighbor reported mental health crisis

Spokesman-Review - 9/24/2021

Sep. 24—Firefighters on Friday quickly extinguished a kitchen fire at a downtown Spokane apartment building, where one resident said her neighbor has been experiencing a mental health crisis all week and she tried to get him help.

Firefighters responded to the Patrician Apartments at 102 E. Second Ave. at about 1 p.m. after a resident reported her neighbor had set their apartment on fire.

Karen Heghaway has lived in the building for the past two years with her husband and dog. Heghaway said her upstairs neighbor, who police identified as Jaime Herrera, 45, has seemingly been having a mental health crisis all week .

A few days ago, Herrera broke out one of his windows and threw his vacuum onto the street below, Heghaway said. He yelled all night Thursday threatening to hurt himself and set his apartment on fire, she said.

She spent all night calling mental health services and the police, who said they couldn't help, Heghaway said.

"I'm upset. I'm angry because I was up all night and I have reports that I've called and called and called," Heghaway said. "And nobody would come out and do nothin'."

Police said they responded Thursday night to a resident "causing a general raucous" but had no evidence of a crime after Herrera wouldn't let them inside his apartment.

Officers responded again Friday afternoon after residents reported Herrera was breaking windows and threatening to set his apartment on fire, at which point they had probable cause for charges of felony harassment and reckless endangerment, said Officer Stephen Anderson.

Police were unable to verify that Herrera was inside and left .

At about 1 p.m., Heghaway heard someone come down the stairs and exit the building.

Moments later, she said she smelled smoke.

Firefighters were able to put out the blaze with a pump can — a large extinguisher filled with water and foam, said Battalion Chief Jim Schaeffer.

The fire did not spread to surrounding apartments, he added.

Police have not located Herrera.

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