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DRAPER — A family is figuring out their next steps after a fire on their moving truck destroyed many of their possessions just as they arrived in Utah.
Dennis Draleau said he and two of his children were in a moving truck on I-15 near Bangerter Highway Thursday evening. His wife and their other children were following behind in a van. Draleau said his wife, Kayleigh, noticed smoke and tried to get his attention.
Draleau said he noticed the smoke when he checked his mirror. He said he initially thought the equipment towing his car had started dragging against the asphalt, but when he noticed the brakes were not as effective as he expected, he realized the smoke was coming from the truck.
“I was able to stop, miraculously, and I threw it into park, and there’s immediately smoke coming into the cabin and flames ripping up over the passenger side window on top of the cabin and out the front of the hood,” he said.
Draleau said he pulled his three-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter from the cab just as flames began to overtake it.
“First thing we did was, as soon as we got into that van safe, we said a prayer of thanks. It’s just stuff, you know? It’s just a vehicle. This is all going to pan out, but I can’t replace these guys,” he said referring to his children.
By the time firefighters arrived, the front of the truck was engulfed. Draleau said many of their belongings were damaged or destroyed by smoke, fire, or the water and foam it took to extinguish the flames. Battalion Chief Kevin Holt with the Draper Fire Department said they have not been able to determine what caused the fire in the engine compartment.
Now, the family is staying in a hotel while they figure out what to do next. Draleau said he is working with the insurance and moving truck companies to see what to do next. He was moving with his family to the Salt Lake City area to launch a new business. His design, the Polymule, has raised tens of thousands of dollars in crowdfunding, and he hopes to find a manufacturer in the area. He said they plan to keep moving forward.
“Experiences like this can happen to anybody. I think it’s humbling and you realize, again, what’s most important,” Draleau said. “We’re confident that, if we just keep pushing forward, it’ll all pan out. Lemons turn to lemonade.”
