SPOKANE, WA — An 11-year-old boy died early Monday after a house fire in northwest Spokane, according to the Spokane Fire Department. Crews were dispatched at 12:14 a.m. to the 4000 block of West Rowan Avenue for reports of a basement fire with people trapped.

Engine 16, which had just cleared a nearby medical call, arrived within five minutes and found flames showing from a basement window of the single-story home. Firefighters entered through the front door and quickly located a disoriented adult female, helping her outside to safety.

Heavy smoke and heat initially prevented crews from reaching the basement through the interior stairwell. Firefighters applied water from outside to cool the fire room before advancing inward. Once inside the basement bedroom where the fire originated, firefighters found the 11-year-old boy. He was removed through a basement window and pronounced deceased at the scene. Two dogs and a cat were also found dead during additional searches.

According to investigators, the child and his grandmother had been asleep in the basement bedroom when she awoke to a small fire in the corner. She attempted to smother the flames with clothing and locate the boy, but was quickly forced out by heavy smoke. She escaped up the stairs and alerted three other children and the child’s mother on the main floor, who evacuated safely. Engine 16 crews located the grandmother still disoriented inside the home.

The grandmother was treated on scene for smoke inhalation but declined transport. The child’s mother was transported for evaluation and later released. The American Red Cross is assisting three adults and three children displaced by the fire.

Investigators, assisted by Spokane Police and a Spokane County Fire District 4 arson dog team, determined the fire was incendiary and caused by the deceased child igniting nearby combustible materials.