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Gene Kennedy reportingAn early morning fire destroyed the upper levels of a West Jordan twinhome, but smoke detectors helped save the day.
Allen Burgess / Witness "Very bad, it was really scary, I walked out to my backyard and watched the windows blow out."
Jonathan Allen, his girlfriend and their small child were inside the home near 4500 West 9000 South when the fire started. Allen's girlfriend was asleep with their 2-year-old son when she awoke and noticed her alarm clock had not gone off. First, she realized she was late for work. Then fear set in.
Jonathan Allen / Fire Victim: "She came to wake me up to see what time it was and all of a sudden she saw smoke coming up the stair well. The smoke detectors went off, she yelled there was a fire. That got me right up. I got out of bed and told her to get the little baby and we ran outside the house."
Proof that smoke detectors truly save lives. Allen thinks the fire started behind an entertainment center in his living room. It didn't take long for the flames to engulf the upper level.
Photos from Dirk Burton show a fire spreading from the main level and to the attic, with smoke just billowing into the air.
Fire fighters from three agencies fought against the cold to contain this. It started around 6:15 this morning and fire fighters had it out in about an hour. They put it out before it spread to any nearby units.
The good news is no one was hurt, but the damage is around $100,000 dollars. Most of the damage is to the top floor of the building. Nobody was in the neighboring twinhome at the time of the fire.
Fire officials are still trying to figure out what caused this. At this time, they don't feel it's suspicious.
