Woman missing in Spanish Fork house fire

SPANISH FORK, Utah — One woman is missing and presumed dead in a house fire in Spanish Fork Tuesday morning.

The call went out at approximately 6:35 a.m. for a fire at 1239 S. 2970 East.

Firefighters found one unit of a twin home fully engulfed in flames.

Witness Porter Black said, “I wish there was more I could do.”

 
Crews evacuated a connected unit.

Black lives just down the road from this Spanish Fork house and he saw it all happen.

“I saw a bunch of smoke coming out of the roof and then only about ten minutes went by and it started barreling right through the top,” he said.

This is video of firefighters in Spanish Fork this morning. 🎥 Levi S. pic.twitter.com/zsqKffSE3l

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) March 28, 2023

“They were not able to make contact with the homeowner at the other (burning) unit and a location is still unknown for an older woman,” Spanish Fork spokesman Nick Porter said. “It’s likely that she’s still in the home.”

Fire crews were not able to enter the home because of the intense flames.

“The first and second floor is actually collapsed into the basement,” Porter said. “We have crews on scene to start removing debris and hopefully we can locate her and also start to determine the cause of the fire.”

Porter said, “That was my main concern. I knew there was an old lady that lived there.”

One woman is still unaccounted for from a Spanish Fork house fire earlier this morning. Crews are going through the rubble. We spoke with the fire department and some neighbors. We'll have this story and more details on @KSL5TV at 5 and 6. pic.twitter.com/D3VVoJbVdt

— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) March 28, 2023

Both homes are a complete loss Porter said.

The woman’s car was found in her garage. Family members showed up at the scene and told firefighters they haven’t heard from her and can’t reach her.

A news release said the fire is 100% contained but crews are still finding and extinguishing hot spots in the basement.

Spanish Fork street crews are helping move debris as they search for the missing woman.

The new release stated, “Because of the potential of finding a victim, much of the debris removal is being conducted by hand and may take hours.”

“It’s a very tight-knit community here,” Spanish Fork Fire Chief Eddie Hales said. “This HOA is very close-knit as well and you will see many neighbors standing outside of this occupancy just standing by waiting to hear what the news is.”

That’s what Black was doing. “I’ve ran into her a few times and spoken to her when I first moved in,” he said.

And like everyone else, all he could do was wait.

“Sweet, nice lady,” Black said. “That just makes me feel even worse about it.”

An aerial view from @KSLChopper5 of the house fire in Spanish Fork #KSLTV pic.twitter.com/6smqsofHsh

— Derek Petersen (@Derek_Photog) March 28, 2023

Several entities helped the Spanish Fork Fire Department and EMS including Mapleton, Payson, and Salem as well as Spanish Fork Police, Spanish Fork Power & Light, Central Utah 911, and Dominion Energy.

The American Red Cross responded to the scene and released this statement:

“Red Cross staff and volunteers responded to the fire in Spanish Fork this morning. Red Cross Disaster Action Team members provided emotional support, access to financial assistance, and valuable information to help the families. In the days and weeks to come, Red Cross will continue to assist the families and connect them with community resources.”