MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE, Utah, May 9, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Weber Fire District crews were dispatched to a shed fire Friday night in the area of 1600 West and 400 North.
When crews arrived at about 9:03 p.m., the small shed was fully engulfed in flames, Fire Marshal David Reed said, but it was quickly extinguished, and most firefighter units were canceled.
Reed said the property owner had a fire going and apparently thought it was no longer burning.
“It smoldered and reached the shed. It also burned up to the garage, but fortunately that didn’t catch fire,” Reed told Gephardt Daily. ”
There were two sheds and only one burned, but the damage amounted to $5,000-$7,000, Battalion Chief Mark Lund said.
“The fire got into a small woodpile and then got into the shed,” Lund said, explaining how the flames traveled from the source.
It isn’t known what was being burned initially.
Reed said it’s important to remind people, “Make sure your fires are cold, not just ‘out.'”
There have been other recent incidents of hot embers setting off a blazing fire, and it isn’t unusual for the fire to start in a shed or garage after someone disposes of fireplace embers or spent fireworks they think are completely “out.”
“Take a 5-gallon bucket and fill it up with water,” Reed advises. “Put whatever was burning into the bucket and put it at the end of your driveway until morning. That way, you know it’s completely out and cold.”
Reed also mentioned that, under the Division of Air Quality, it’s a class B misdemeanor to burn trash and can result in a fine of up to $1,000 or up to six months in prison.
