4-year-old, Parents Seriously Burned in Saratoga Springs Van Fire

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah – A 4-year-old and her parents had serious burns after their van caught fire Saturday evening.

Chief Jess Campbell of the Saratoga Springs Fire Department said the couple and their three children had spent the day on a boat on Utah Lake.

When they pulled away from the marina in their van, Campbell said, the engine ran into trouble.

Campbell said the father removed the engine cover, put it in the back of the van, and poured gasoline into the carburetor in an attempt to restart it.

He said the engine backfired, creating a spark, and the fumes inside the van ignited.

Two of the children in the van escaped the fireball without serious injuries. Campbell said the youngest, a 4-year-old girl, could not remove her seat belt. He said her parents worked to free her and all three of them received serious burns.

The mother and daughter were flown to the University of Utah Hospital’s burn unit. The father was taken there by ambulance. At last check, Campbell said, the mother and daughter were in critical condition and the father was stable.

Several people were nearby and tried to help the family when the van caught fire.

“There were a lot of tears out here. Lot of people were affected,” said Amy Downing Loveless.

Loveless created an online fundraiser (https://www.gofundme.com/f/saratoga-family-in-car-fire-burn-victims) for the family, saying several neighbors wanted to do something to help the family as they face what might come next.

“We just know the astronomical costs that are coming, and burden as well as suffering that this family is going through. We’re hoping that the neighbors pitch in,” she said.