MURRAY, Utah, Dec. 15, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Murray firefighters knocked down an early morning blaze on Friday in the residence of another public servant.
The resident, Murray High School’s assistant principal, made it out safely, and called for help at 4:26 a.m. Murray High’s website lists its male assistant principal as Dolph Church.
“We had a single occupant in the house that was awoken by a loud noise and smoke and flames,” said Mike Dykman, Murray City Fire assistant chief. “He got out of the house and notified police.”
Firefighters from Murray, assisted by units from Unified Fire Authority and West Jordan, responded to the scene, near 260 East and 5900 South. They did a quick search of the house to ensure no one was trapped inside, then began fighting the fire, Dykman said.
The resident, a man in his 50s, had heard a loud pop, Dykman said. Firefighters found porch-repair materials on the back porch. Flammable materials may have exploded or contributed to the fire.
Dykman said the residence was built in the ’60s, and had a built-over roof, which makes fighting a fire more difficult. A layer of air and fire can be trapped with that style of construction.
The resident was uninjured, and no firefighters were hurt, ” … so we’re happy about that,” Dykman said.
Investigators were expected to make a thorough search later in the day.
“It’s still under investigation, but everything seems to be pointing to an accidental fire this morning,” Dykman said.
