Fire rages through apartments under construction at Gonzaga

SPOKANE — A 225-bed apartment complex being built at Gonzaga University was destroyed in a spectacular fire early Monday that stretched firefighting resources and closed a major north-south arterial in Spokane.

The Kennedy Apartments, a $10.4 million complex for upper-division students, caught fire just after midnight Monday morning.

No one was injured, and the cause of the fire has not been determined, said Gonzaga spokesman Peter Tormey.

"It appears it will be a total loss," Tormey said.

The three-building complex on the edge of campus was insured and will likely be rebuilt, he said.

The Spokane Fire Department and agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating, Tormey said.

"It went up very fast," he said.

The 75 three-bedroom apartments, along busy Ruby Street on Spokane's north side, had been scheduled to open in July. Ruby Street was closed to traffic for blocks, and smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.

Most of the Spokane Fire Department was called to fight the blaze at the brick and wood structure, said Fire Chief Bobbie Williams.

Williams said the fire call came in at 12:05 a.m. When firefighters arrived, one of the three buildings was engulfed and another was on fire. By 1:30 a.m., much of the complex had collapsed.

Gonzaga, with 6,000 students, has been strapped for dormitory space for several years. The new apartments would have housed upper-level students who typically live off campus, Tormey said.

The complex was named in honor of Duff Kennedy of Seattle, former chairman of the Gonzaga University Board of Trustees, and his late wife, Dorothy.