LAYTON, Utah, Sept. 12, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Fire crews battled a structure fire to a standstill fairly quickly Monday evening, but not before the home suffered significant damage.
The fire, dispatched at 5:43 p.m., caused heat and smoke damage throughout the home, most of it in the basement more than the main floor, with some fire damage to the exterior, said Layton Fire Department Battalion Chief Jason Cook.
But damage estimates could still top $300,000, he said. There were no injuries.
Crews were still on scene mopping up and checking for hot spots at 8 p.m., although the blaze was controlled within 15 minutes, Cook said.
“The homeowner said she first noticed smoke coming out of a basement window. She was able to get the other two adult residents out of the house, but by then smoke was coming out of the main floor and she saw flames on the exterior.”
The residents were a retired couple and a son living with them.
Hill Air Force Base fire crews assisted.
Layton Fire tweeted the fire location at 2107 E. Kays Creek Drive (1600 N.) at 6 p.m. asking people to “Please avoid the area.”
The fire was not disrupting vehicle traffic, Cook said, as was initially reported by some media, the alert was meant instead to keep the curious away.
“It was a residential area, and we were concerned about pedestrians,” he said. “Anytime people see a tall column of smoke, it tends to attract onlookers.” Among the first things crews do upon arriving at a fire is to clear the area, he said.
People getting in the way, as hoses and equipment are deployed, not only hinder firefighting efforts, but citizens can suffer injuries “even if they have the best intentions.”
