KEARNS, Utah, Jan. 14, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Firefighters responded to a residential fire in Kearns Friday morning, and arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the house.
A neighbor met arriving crews near the house, at 4883 S. Heath Ave., and told firefighters a resident was in the house, so crews began an offensive attack on the flames.
Soon after, officials learned the occupant had been at work and was safe, Patrick Costin, Unified Fire Authority spokesman, told reporters at the scene.
The fire battle continued, and the structure underwent heavy damage before the flames could be knocked down over a period of about a half-hour, Costin said.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and could take a while to determine due to the heavy damage.
“I talked with the investigators here, and it’s going to be quite an extensive investigation due to damage to the roof structure and to the floor structure.”
Costin said structural damage will slow the investigation, and the site will need to be stabilized for the safety of workers.
Firefighters were able to protect neighbors’ houses from damage, Costin said. The residence was heavily damaged and may be a total loss, he said, adding that only part of the basement remained undamaged.
