Millcreek family nearly loses home to careless fireworks, has a message
Jul 2, 2024, 9:37 PM | Updated: Jul 3, 2024, 7:44 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A Millcreek family that nearly lost their home due to a blaze started by fireworks has a message for others this Fourth of July holiday.
One week ago, on Tuesday at approximately 10 p.m., huge orange flames could be seen shooting into the air on the side of Interstate 215 eastbound, near the mouth of Parley’s Canyon.
Just above that fire is Scott Clements’ Millcreek home. Scott and his family say they heard a loud pop, looked out their back window, and saw huge flames shooting up into the air.
“With the two-story flames out there, we could feel the heat coming through our windows,” Clements told KSL TV. “Within 30 seconds, it had spread within a length of a house or two.”
His wife grabbed the children and evacuated the house.
“It was really scary because, first of all, it was so bright,” said Eden Clements, Scott Clements’ 17-year-old daughter who evacuated the house. “It’s very unpredictable; you don’t know what it’s going to do.”
Scott Clements grabbed his backyard garden hose and started to spray down the flames before firefighters arrived.
Firefighters told KSL that the fire was started by fireworks, set off in a restricted area, on a day no fireworks were allowed to be lit.
“This could have easily been my house. It’s crazy what one careless firework could have [done], put several houses up in flames in minutes,” Scott Clements said. “There is just one narrow road between the fire and my house.”
“Why in the world would you do that? It just felt super careless,” Eden Clements said.
Firefighters said this is just one example of what they expect to see this season, given the hot and dry conditions across the state.
“We’ve got a significant fire season we are expecting, unfortunately,” Kelly Bird with Unified Fire Authority said. “The fuels, the grasses and trees, have really grown thick. Things have gotten warm and dried out.”
That’s why they are warning everyone to light only in approved areas and be extra careful when setting off fireworks in approved areas.
“We want people to know this is serious, and there are some fire risks right now,” Bird said. “Please make sure you have a hose line right next to you, or a fire extinguisher or a bucket of water.”