CLINTON, Utah, Nov. 24, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Multiple resources were called to a blaze in Clinton early Sunday morning, and it was later learned that an unidentified man had been inside the structure when it was consumed by flames.
Clinton Fire Chief David Olsen said firefighters were paged at 2:48 a.m. Sunday to a “shed fire” in the area of 2200 West and 1300 North.
Crews arrived within six minutes and found, not a shed, but a detached barn/garage-type structure fully engulfed in flames.
Olsen said they immediately attempted to fight the blaze offensively, but there were so many stored items — “a massive amount” — burning inside, they had to take a defensive position to battle the fire.
“The homeowner said someone might be in there, but they weren’t sure,” Olsen told Gephardt Daily. “A homeless person had been seen on the property, but they hadn’t seen him that day.”
A body was later found in the debris.
Officials are awaiting a positive identification of the deceased from the Medical Examiner’s office. The State Fire Marshal has yet to submit a final determination as to the cause of the blaze, but Olsen said the initial report indicates that it was an accidental fire.
It took crews from Clinton, North Davis, Syracuse, Hill Air Force Base, and Roy fire departments about an hour to get the fire knocked down and under control.
“Public Works had to come out with tractors to pull out all the items (from the burning structure) as we were fighting the fire, ” Olsen said.
It’s a tragedy anytime someone dies in a fire, he said, and condolences go out to any next-of-kin of the deceased.
