Family Grieves After Home Destroyed In Ogden Fire

OGDEN, Utah – A family is grieving the loss of their home, after a fire ripped through an Ogden street overnight, damaging four business, more than 30 vehicles and five homes.

There’s hardly a building on the block of 28th Street and Grant Avenue that the fire didn’t touch, and there’s hardly a time Carolyn Gallegos remembers when her home there wasn’t in her family.

“There’s memories of my husband in there, too. He died in 1974. They’re all burned to ashes,” Gallegos said. “I brought up my kids all by myself. I worked hard to buy this house. Now, it’s gone.”

This #fire in #Ogden impacted nearly the entire block at 28th and Grant, according to @OgdenFireDept…

-1 apartment complex under construction
-5 homes
-4 businesses
-2 fire trucks, 30 other vehicles
-power poles/lines
-estimated $3+ million in damages@KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/oZu3PkCoDV

— Matt Rascon KSL (@MattRasconKSL) June 29, 2021

At the center of the fire investigation is an apartment complex that was under construction and standing four stories tall on Monday. The next day, the building was nothing more than a pile of rubble and ash. Fire authorities said that’s where the fire started.

The fire and wind were intense enough that the flames spread to four nearby homes.

“The fire department came and got me out of the house. They said, ‘Get out of here right now!’” said Joseph Romero who was inside and living at Gallegos’s home at the time. “I don’t know where we’re going to go from here now. I guess we’re just going to have to pick up the pieces and go on.”

A fifth home was damaged from flying embers.

The flames also jumped across the road, damaging 30 rental vehicles and four businesses, including My Mechanic.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. Everything’s melted,” the owner, Steve Lunt, said. “To build something from scratch and then to see it burn down, it’s kind of heartbreaking.”

The fire and wind were intense enough that the flames spread to several homes and then jumped across the road and damaged four businesses, including 30 vehicles at a car rental lot. pic.twitter.com/53UPGNITQK

— Matt Rascon KSL (@MattRasconKSL) June 29, 2021

Gallegos’ home was one of three destroyed in the fire. Two others were damaged. She called it “a great loss.” Her daughter was one of several who were living in the home and were inside when it caught fire.

“My family’s asking for help because we don’t know what to do now. Just don’t know where to go. I’ve lost a lot of my stuff in there that I had. Whatever you guys can help with,” Dana Gallegos said.

The Red Cross was on hand, assisting those who had been displaced by the fire. They encouraged people who want to help to donate by going to 1-800-Red-Cross or redcross.org.

Ogden Police called the fire suspicious.

Investigators were following several leads to help determine the cause.