Farm Fire Kills 2 People, At Least 1 Dozen Livestock

PROVO, Utah – Investigators have located the second person unaccounted for in a devastating fire that destroyed a family farm and killed at least a dozen animals.

The blaze broke on the property of the Finch Family Farms, 2570 W. 200 South, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Monday.

“We started pulling some trailers and things away from the flames,” said Preston Arnoldsen, a family member who showed up on scene to try to save some of the farm. “Stalls were engulfed, and the flames were climbing 50-60 feet high.”

Arnoldsen said he woke up to the sound of sirens and could see the flames from his home down the street. He rushed to help his uncle, and they began gathering as many animals as they could.

He was unaware people were inside the barns.

“I had no idea,” he said. “I knew that there were many horses lost in there, and that was hard enough, but finding out there was a person in there. It blew my mind.”

Provo Police haven’t released the identities of the two people killed in the fire, but they have confirmed they are the two who were unaccounted for earlier.

“The most difficult thing is we don’t know how many individuals were on the property,” said Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King. “(We don’t know) if people were residing here, or if they were just here to tend to their animals.”

Investigators began going through the devastation Monday morning with a backhoe to search for additional possible victims and other animals. So far approximately nine horses and several goats were killed.

“I’ve never seen anything quite like that,” Arnoldsen said. “I’m sure grateful for the firefighters. They may have saved my life.”

Several other horses were cut loose in an attempt to save them, and it is possible some are out in the fields injured. The owners, along with animal control, are out looking for them.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.