2 injured as fire damages home adjacent to Cedar City Temple grounds

Written by Jeff Richards
August 1, 2022

CEDAR CITY — Firefighters responded to a fire Sunday night in a home adjacent to the Cedar City Temple grounds.

Scene of a residential fire in a neighborhood west of the Cedar City Temple, Cedar City, Utah, July 31, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Shortly before 8:40 p.m., emergency dispatchers received a report of a structure fire on Carmel Canyon Road.

Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips said the first engine crews to respond initially went to an address on 400 South, as Carmel Canyon Road starts at 400 South and loops around to 350 South, where it intersects with Ridgeview Loop at 2525 West.

“We could smell the smoke,” Phillips told Cedar City News at the scene. “It took us a second to get to the right place.”

Some 26 fire personnel, including the crews assigned to three engines, including one heavy rescue truck and one ladder truck, plus three command staff, responded to the incident.

The blaze started in a theater room located in the home’s basement, Phillips said, adding that the cause of the fire appears to be a 6-year-old child playing with a lighter.

As of 9:30 p.m., firefighters were still working in and around the building and had set up fans at doorways to ventilate smoke from inside the home.

“This is a big house with a lot of smoke in it,” Phillips said. “We’re just trying to get that figured out. The fire’s down in the basement and we can tell we’ve got that under control.”

Two injuries were reported, Phillips said. A 2-year-old child was treated for first-degree burns at the scene, and one firefighter was taken to the local hospital’s emergency room for a hand injury.

The home’s occupants were able to evacuate on their own, Phillips said, adding that he is not sure how many people reside there. They were described as “three generations living under one roof.”

The family has been displaced by the fire, Phillips added. He described the room where the fire started in the basement as “totally gutted” and said there is extensive smoke damage throughout the rest of the home, in addition to some water damage.

Also responding to the scene were personnel from Cedar City Police Department, Iron County Sheriff’s Office and Gold Cross Ambulance

This report is based on information provided by fire or law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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