2 firefighters injured battling overnight blaze in Murray


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MURRAY — Two firefighters were injured in one of two house fires that ignited early Sunday in Murray.

About 5:30 a.m., fire crews from Murray, South Salt Lake and Unified Fire Authority responded to a home, 954 W. Walden Hills Dr., where they found flames blowing out the front window, according to Pat Killion, deputy fire marshal for the Murray City Fire Department.

Firefighters began pulling a hose through the front door, and as they walked down the hallway, they fell through the floor into the basement, Killion said.

"We don't often hear Maydays in our careers. This was kind of a big deal," Killion said. "They got out of the basement extremely quickly — everybody was really pleased with that — and they were all under their own power. Big learning experience today."

The firefighters didn't fall into fire, Killion said, but one of them got minor burns on his wrist, and another suffered a shoulder injury. Both firefighters were in good condition Sunday evening, and the latter is expected to undergo rehabilitation for his shoulder injury, according to Killion.

"It (the fire) had burned so quickly and so hot that we have two major holes in the floor, and under those conditions, you can't see your hand in front of your face," he said. "So they probably just took a left-hand turn and fell right into this hole."

The home was unoccupied at the time as the homeowners were away, which may have given the fire time to grow, Killion said. A cat died in the fire, but a dog was rescued. The family returned Sunday, but an official cause of the fire had not yet been determined.

Earlier that morning, fire crews also responded to a house fire at 616 E. 5600 South, where a renter smelled something burning and saw smoke rising from the eaves shortly before 3 a.m.

Photo: Mike Radice/KSL-TV
Photo: Mike Radice/KSL-TV

As firefighters worked to put out the fire, they learned the home had recently been remodeled and had a "double roof," which made work difficult for them, according to Killion.

The home was deemed uninhabitable after firefighters suppressed the flames.

An official cause of the fire had not been determined Sunday, but Killion said investigators were considering two areas of interest as possible causes. One was near the center of the home in the attic, where some electrical wires had suspicious burn marks around them. The other possible cause was a fireplace, which had a fire in it more than a day, he said.

Contributing: Karilyn Frazier

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