SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 3, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Fire crews are at the scene of a three-alarm fire Monday night between 500 South and 400 South on 1100 East.
Salt Lake City Fire Department is asking the public to avoid the area.
SLCFD started battling the blaze — which involved an adjacent home — a little after 6 p.m., according to Audra Sorensen, public information officer for the department.
Sorensen said the fire started in the home to the west, at 1153, where a couple in their 60s lives. They were safely evacuated. The fire then spread east to 1151, from which a man in his 20s and his dog were evacuated.
A second alarm was called, and then a third because of the heat, Sorensen told Gephardt Daily. “Everyone was getting dehydrated … so we brought in another crew to rotate.”
Another concern was that live power lines were down in the area, which always present a danger. Sorensen’s advice for anyone caught in such a situation is to “just get out.”
“I know we love our things,” she said, “but we love our lives more.”
Neighbors, who identified themselves as Megan and Espen, live about 100 yards from the homes that burned. Megan said she was just coming across 400 South when she saw all the fire trucks.
“I saw the fire trucks in the lane and our car was parked there. My first thought was about the car and what would I do if it were my house?”
When she and Espen saw the home that was burning, they didn’t know if anyone was inside, and that was a cause for concern.
“We hope everyone’s OK,” they said.
Another neighbor, whose name is Zach, said he could see there was a fire from his backyard about 500 yards from the scene of the blaze because of the smoke
“We heard a lot of sirens going on, and then I look up and I see this massive pillar of smoke,” he said. So he and his friend, Jake, ran down the street to see what was going on.
“This first house is on fire, and there’s like two fire trucks. And then we look over here, and you could see this whole back alley was completely smoked out. The second house caught fire, and (the firemen) were spraying water everywhere,” he said, adding that he started feeling a little light-headed from all the smoke and ash.
Zach said he was worried at first about how far the fire might spread, but, “These firemen, they took care of the job like they’re supposed to quite well. I just feel bad for the elderly couple living in the white house.”
At about 8:50 p.m., SLCFD tweeted that both structures were clear, everyone was evacuated, and no injuries were reported.
PIO Sorensen said the house at 1153, where the fire started, is a total loss. The other home had significant damage. The cause of the fire is still unknown, and there is no estimate of damages, but she said it’s “pretty intense.”
The displaced residents were making arrangements for places to stay, she said.
“It’s that time of year,” Sorensen said. “A barbecue, a firework, a little s’mores roast in the backyard that’s not carefully, carefully watched — any spark can start a fire.”
