PLAIN CITY, Utah, Jan. 20, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Fire crews from three agencies fought a blaze that started in a shed and sent flames 20 feet into the air late Saturday night, officials said.
The fire, near 900 North and 5200 West, on the edge of Plain City, was called in at about 10:16 p.m.
“Smoke and flames were visible from the freeway, and when crews arrived, the shed was fully engulfed,” Plain City Fire Chief T.J. Larson told Gephardt Daily.
The shed was attached to the house and the fire spread quickly.
“The home was built in the early 1900s,” Larson said. “It had a lot of void spaces that allowed the fire to spread into the walls, ceiling and roof.”
The residents — a husband, wife and their weeks-old infant — were already safely evacuated when fire crews arrived. The family then left the property to get the baby away from the smoky night air and into a warm, safe environment.
No civilians or firefighters were injured in the blaze. Larson said two dogs that were in the shed are missing, but there is no evidence that they died in the fire.
Crews were actively fighting the fire until a little after midnight. Some remained on scene another couple of hours, performing salvage and overhaul operations.
The firefighters carried the family’s furniture and other belongings out of the home and were able to save most of their possessions, Larson said. Neighbors came forward to help store the items for the family.
At 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Larson was still on scene.
“Everything of value has been removed and the home is now in the custody of Plain City Fire Department,” he said. “It was a joint effort by Weber Fire District, North View and Plain City fire crews, and it went really well. And the neighbors helped a lot.”
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and no dollar estimate of damages was available, but Larson said the home is “possibly a total loss.”
