Firefighters squelched a structure fire on Northwest Lane in Kalispell that sent a plume of smoke high above the city early Thursday afternoon.

A flurry of 911 calls at about 12:39 p.m., Feb. 1 reported fire, smoke and small explosions emanating from an outbuilding used as a workshop located on a residential property, officials said. The nearby home was unoccupied.

Assistant Kalispell Fire Chief Jessica Kinzer reported no injuries and no casualties resulting from the fire. She said that “a good response time saved the house,” despite the fire being the agency’s sixth call of the day and occurring while a medical call had drawn fire department resources elsewhere.  

Two suppression units were dispatched by 12:40 p.m. and arrived at what Kinzer described as a heavy fire about 12:47 p.m. Kinzer said crews began a “defensive operation.”

“With offensive operations, you can send people in,” she said. “A defensive fire, everyone fights it from outside, because nobody inside could still be alive.”

While the cause of the fire remains unknown, Kinzer said there was no reason to suspect arson.

Kinzer thanked Evergreen Fire Rescue and Smith Valley Fire Department for providing mutual aid as well as the Kalispell Police Department for offering assistance.

Reporter Carl Foster can be reached at 758-4407 or cfoster@dailyinterlake.com.