LAYTON, Utah, April 8, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Two people were burned and critically injured in a basement explosion that destroyed their Layton home Saturday afternoon.
Both residents of the home at 843 N. 2175 West were transported by helicopter to the University of Utah Health Burn Center following the 2:45 p.m. explosion, Layton City Fire Battalion Chief Brad Wilkes said.
The man and woman were able to walk out of the home and received medical aid from neighbors until police and paramedics arrived, a witness told Gephardt Daily. No other injuries were reported.
Wilkes said investigators believe the use of “some sort of solvent in the basement” sparked a flash fire and the “complete detonation” of the home.
“The house is pretty well destroyed,” he said. “It’s a mess. … There’s significant structural damage inside the house.”
Next-door neighbor Preston Tiffany said he “saw a bunch of fire roll up the side of the house.”
A side wall of the exploded home landed on the side of Tiffany’s home, which also sustained a broken window.
Tiffany said he was in the front room with his wife and their infant son when they “heard a really loud noise.”
“Then the ground shook, and we thought it was an earthquake, and then looked out the window and saw a fireball,” he said. “And as we were grabbing him and running out the front door, we heard glass shatter behind us. It was just spooky.”
Tiffany said he saw the couple stumble out of the home with visible burns. Neighbors with medical training assisted them until police and paramedics arrived, he said.
The couple’s three dogs made it out of the home safely, Tiffany said.
Fire crews from Hill Air Force Base and Syracuse also responded to the explosion.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
