ST. GEORGE – A St. George man who awoke to a fire in his home Tuesday morning burned his feet trying to escape from his burning residence. The man and his son both suffered from smoke inhalation as a result of the fire.
At approximately 6:15 a.m., fire crews responded to the area of 100 South and 300 East on a report of a house fire, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said.
Smoke and flames were showing from the front door when authorities arrived on scene.
St. George Police officers were the first to arrive and found the two occupants of the residence outside the home, including a father who lives in the home and his son, who lives in a trailer in the back of the home.
“(The father) woke this morning,” Stoker said, “and found that there was a fire in the front room by the front door.”
After the occupants reported the fire, the son tried to fight the fire with a garden hose, Stoker said, while the father was out in the street trying to wave people down for help.
Five fire engines, two ladder trucks and about 30 firefighters responded to the scene.
“Our crews did a fast attack,” Stoker said, “which means they went right in with the fire off a tank of water. We had another engine lay a line from a hydrant.”
Fire units did a primary and secondary search of the home to make sure there were no other occupants inside.
Both occupants were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Stoker said. The father, who had burns on his foot from carpet that was on fire as he exited the home, transported himself to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
While the cause of the fire is under investigation, Stoker said fire crews have determined that the fire’s point of origin is in the front room by a couch.
“Upon our investigation, it looked like the fire had been burning for quite a while,” Stoker said. “We had part of the couch that was burned, part of the floor and then smoke damage throughout the home.”
Stoker said the fire looks to be accidental and that there’s nothing suspicious about the incident.
He estimated the total damage caused by the blaze to be between $50,000 and $80,000.
“The fire burned for quite a while in there so there is smoke damage and heat damage plus the fire damage right inside the home,” he said. “We did have to pull some ceilings to check the attic space to make sure the fire hadn’t got into the attic space.”
The fire was contained to the home and did not extend outside of that area, Stoker said.
Authorities shut down a portion of 100 South for approximately two hours while emergency personnel tended to the scene.
St. George Fire, St. George Police and Gold Cross Ambulance responded to the incident.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.
A St. George man suffered burns during a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Firefighters respond to a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Firefighters respond to a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Firefighters clean up after a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Firefighters respond to a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Five fire engines, two ladder trucks and about 30 firefighters respond to a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Five fire engines, two ladder trucks and about 30 firefighters respond to a house fire on 100 South and 300 East, St. George, Utah, March 1, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.