Family displaced in Enterprise after house fire and smoke damage

ENTERPRISE, Washington County — A house went up in flames in an Enterprise neighborhood at approximately 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, and the family will be “displaced for a while,” fire crews said.

The fire happened in the area of 200 South 200 West. When crews arrived, they saw lots of smoke and flames on the front of the house, according to Enterprise Fire Chief Brenden Moody.

The chief said they were able to mostly contain the fire to the front of the building, but the smoke inside made it difficult for crews to enter for some time, and they had to fight the fire from the outside first. Firefighters also had to cut a hole in the roof to ventilate the house. The rest of their house, as well as most of the family’s clothes, were severely damaged by smoke and water, Moody said.

The homeowner reportedly told firefighters that nobody was in the house at the time of the fire because the family smelled gas in the house the night before, and decided to sleep in the “mother-in-law property next to their house.” They left to get groceries in the morning and returned to find their home in flames.

Investigators were still working to find the exact cause of the fire. Moody said he wasn’t sure if the home was a complete loss, but said the family would be displaced.

None of the family members or their dogs were injured in the fire.