WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Oct. 22, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Three pet dogs died in a house fire in West Valley City Monday afternoon.
The fire broke out at a home in the area of 3500 S. 7040 West at approximately 1 p.m.
Battalion Chief Jeff Fox of West Valley City Fire Department said the first crew that arrived saw the front door of the home was open and there was smoke coming out of the door and an alarm was going off.
“They could see smoke kind of around the eves on the exterior of the home,” Fox said. “The first crew that arrived, they made entry and went into the front door and it was pretty well charged with smoke. They had a hard time seeing anything and they could not find the fire. We also heard there were people possibly trapped in the basement, they could hear something.”
While that crew was upstairs looking for the fire, another crew broke a window in the basement and found that the blaze appears to have originated in the basement.
It turned out the residents of the home were away when the fire broke out, but their three pet dogs died in the blaze.
Fox said the fire did not extend up the stairs but there is extensive damage to the basement and smoke damage throughout the home.
The Red Cross is responding to assist the three adults and four children who live in the home.
A total of around 20 firefighters from West Valley City Fire assisted by Unified Fire Authority battled the blaze.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as information is released.
