ST. GEORGE, Utah, Jan. 30, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A rapidly spreading blaze in a townhome on Donlee Drive presented a challenge to fire crews Monday night and robbed a family of their home.
St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said the call came in just before 10 p.m., and when firefighters arrived at 103 N. Donlee Drive, the flames were already spreading quickly.
The fire was contained to the two upper floors of Unit 9, a three-story townhome. Stoker said a walkout basement is below the two floors of living area.
The location of the building, below the Dixie “D” on the east side of Black Hill, made it especially tricky for crews to reach.
The townhome had several large picture windows, which blew out from the heat. Stoker said the fire was extending out of the windows when crews arrived.
They had to set up on the street below, Stoker said, and raise ladders up to the windows to fight the blaze from the outside.
The fire got into the floor joists, making it risky for crews to try to work inside the unit.
A family of six to eight people lived in the townhome that burned.
Stoker said the family was just about getting ready for bed or already asleep, but one of the children, a young boy, was on the couch, watching TV.
When the child saw smoke coming from under the couch, he jumped up and alerted the rest of the family.
Everyone got out safely, and residents on the north side of the building were safely evacuated as well.
Stoker said the father of the family had some smoke inhalation and was treated on scene. Other than that, there were no injuries.
The family will be staying with relatives as they deal with the loss of their home and most of their possessions, Stoker said.
While the uphill terrain made it hard for fire crews to attack the blaze, the blown-out windows allowed more air to fuel the flames.
Stoker said neighbors reported hearing the smoke alarms going off in the burning unit, which was a good thing. He recommends that everyone, everywhere have working smoke alarms.
The townhome was a total loss, he said, but the firewalls did their job and prevented the spread of flames to other units.
Firewalls should be maintained and checked periodically to make sure they’re solid and holding up well, he said.
Fifty to 60 firefighters responded from St. George, Santa Clara and Ivins. St. George Police Department and Gold Cross Ambulance were also on scene.
Stoker said it took at least 30 minutes to knock down the blaze. Crews were still doing overhaul and clean up, and making sure there were no hot spots, more than two hours later.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and, based on information from the family, officials will be looking at the townhome’s electrical wiring.
