LOCAL NEWS
No one injured as Centerville home goes up in flames
CENTERVILLE, Utah — Everyone is safe after a home was engulfed by flames Friday in Centerville.
According to Lt. Alan Ackerson with Centerville Police Department a single home caught fire near 400 South 300 East and all occupants were able to get out safely.
Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the single story home.
Right now, fire investigators are looking into the cause. Firefighters say they’re not sure whether it started inside the home or out. It burned from the back as the wind pushed it forward.
Initially, firefighters tried to protect the home from the inside, but flames quickly pushed through the roof and gutted the house.
One neighbor said she saw the flames and rushed over to make sure everyone was okay. Luckily she says the homewoner was already outside and on the phone with 911.
Firefighters say because of the fast-moving fire, they had to get themselves outside and into a defensive mode.
“The wind caused the fire to grow rapidly and spread into a lot of the void space and the attic space,” battalion chief Josh Hardy said. “Because it continued to blow, the fire heavily affected the trusses and caused the roof to collapse.”
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Laura Gardner was on her way home when she realized her neighbor’s home was burning.
“I turned the corner and then I saw her side of her home on fire,” Gardner said. “Then I turned the corner. I saw flames coming out of the side porch of her home.”
Gardner says by the time she pulled up to help, the homeowner was already outside on the phone with 911.
“She’s really an awesome person and a really good mom and so she got her son out and they are safe,”Gardner said.
Here’s video from a neighbor, and then Chopper 5 of a house fire in Centerville. Firefighters say heavy wind pushed it through the home quickly. Family is out safe. Story on @KSL5TV at 5&6. pic.twitter.com/ES7lm5NqqR
— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) February 24, 2023
Gardner said the woman is a single mother who has the community pulling for her.
No one was hurt, despite the size of the fire and the damage done here.
Because of the defensive stance firefighters took outside, they kept it from spreading to neighboring homes.
It is unclear how the fire started.
A GoFundMe* was started for the homeowners to help in their recovery.
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
