Strange Twist Alerts Neighbors To Fireworks House Fire

HIGHLAND, Utah – There are some calls that firefighters never expect to get.

 

And the one that came in at 2:30 in the morning on Thursday, is one they won’t soon forget at the Lone Peak Fire Department.

 

“This was the culprit going through the window,” said Chief Reed Thompson, of the Lone Peak department.

 

The crash of glass in the middle of the night, sounded like a burglar, all of the commotion resulted in a neighbor letting the family next door know, their house was on fire.

 

Yes, an old car strut exploded, because it was in a garbage can, where smoldering fireworks burst into flames and the heat sent the strut, with compressed gas inside 80 feet, just like a bullet, through the window at neighbors.

 

“It took us a minute to find it, it had fallen behind the dryer,” the chief said.
But all the racket, woke up the neighbors and they noticed the house next door, was on fire.

 

“Really kind of in some ways a blessing in disguise that the neighbors were alerted to get their family members out and the fire would have progressed much further had they not been alerted to that early on and so really considering the circumstances everything worked out to their advantage,” he said.

 

The chief says the strut was so hot, it melted on a plastic floor sweeper.
Even though it will be several months until fireworks season, the fire chief hopes we won’t forget this story and make sure to water down used fireworks before putting them in the garbage.

 

“We recommend that they keep it several feet away from any sort of other combustible, whether that be your home or the garbage can or a vehicle and they soak them in a bucket of water and let him sit overnight so they get an opportunity to cool off appropriately,” he added.

 

Firefighters consider it to be an accident they say damage to the burned home is likely about $10,000.