Resident spots smoke from electrical socket, firefighters find fire burning inside house wall

ST. GEORGE — A St. George resident saw flames coming from an electrical socket in his home Saturday night, prompting a heavy response from the Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, they discovered an active fire inside a wall of the home.

The St. George Fire Department responded to an electrical fire in a wall Saturday night. The blaze was quickly extinguished, St. George, Utah, June 4, 2016 | Photo by Austin Peck, St. George News
The St. George Fire Department responded to an electrical fire in a wall Saturday night. The blaze was quickly extinguished, St. George, Utah, June 4, 2016 | Photo by Austin Peck, St. George News

At approximately 10 p.m., emergency services responded to reports of an electrical fire in a house at 264 N. 2230 East, St. George Fire Battalion Chief Robert J. Hooper said.

St. George Fire Department responded to the incident with one ladder truck, four engines and approximately 15 personnel, along with St. George Police Department and Gold Cross Ambulance.

Fire crews were initially unable to find any flames. However, after a time they discovered an active fire inside one of the walls. After isolating the circuit, firefighters opened the wall and extinguished the blaze.

“We kind of did some salvage and overhaul to make sure it didn’t go into the attic,” Hooper said. “A lot of times we have those fires burning in hidden spaces, they’ll jump into the attic and we won’t know it.”

The St. George Fire Department responded to an electrical fire in a wall Saturday night. The blaze was quickly extinguished, St. George, Utah, June 4, 2016 | Photo by Austin Peck, St. George News
The St. George Fire Department responded to an electrical fire in a wall Saturday night. The blaze was quickly extinguished, St. George, Utah, June 4, 2016 | Photo by Austin Peck, St. George News

No one was injured in the fire.

Homeowners, who had been temporarily displaced while crews worked on the fire were able to go back inside their home following the incident.

Hooper estimated the damage to the home at around $2,000.

“Could have been a lot worse if it had started in the middle of the night,” the battalion chief said.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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