PROVO, Utah, Dec. 20, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Provo Fire & Rescue crews responded to fires threatening three houses before and after dawn Tuesday morning.
The first of two overnight fires was called in at 2:59 a.m. Crews responded to the scene, near 100 East and 200 North, Cpt. Sam Armstrong, Provo Fire & Rescue, told Gephardt Daily.
“It was a structure fire that ended up being defensive, meaning we went in initially, cleared the house of occupants, and then from there we didn’t go any further to spend time in the house because there was a roof collapse. That meant it was unsafe.”
The primary burn was in one residence, and also burning was the detached garage of a house next door, with those flames threatening a second residence.
“The primary structure had heavy damage, and fire next door burned both the garage and the car in it,” Armstrong said.
The first residence was a total loss, he said, “but they made a great stop before it got to that second house.”
Residents and firefighters are safe, he said.
Due to the water and the below-freezing temperatures, several firefighters did slip on ice, including one group including a few of them, Armstrong said. They were able to shake it off, understanding it as one of the dangers that goes with the job during winter months.
Second fire
Tuesday’s second fire was called in at about 9:07 a.m. Crews responded to the area of 2600 West and 1390 North.
“The report was from the homeowner, who was the only one home,” Armstrong said. “He was able to get out without injury.”
The homeowner said he believes the fire started in a bedroom.
“Our fire marshal and investigators are still on the scene, working on the origin and the extent of the damage” Armstrong said at 10:30 a.m. “We don’t have a cost yet.”
No firefighters were injured in the response, he said. A valve on a pump truck froze in place, releasing more water than needed. A salt truck came through over icy roads to add safety for workers and citizen drivers.
Gephardt Daily will have additional information on the fires as details are released.
