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Gene Kennedy ReportingFire investigators are on the scene of a large house fire in Sandy. At one point flames shot 50 feet into the air.
Witness: "Huge flames going up over the garage and it spread really fast."
All the Sandy homeowner could do was watch helplessly as his home went up in flames.
The fire engulfed the home, located near 1612 East and 9770 South, and there isn't an area that wasn't damaged.
The investigators are looking for the official cause of the fire. It may have started in some ceramic cooking pots on the back side of the home. The homeowner says he had a barbeque in the back of the house yesterday. He believes that's what started the fire this morning.
Witness: "My daughter heard it. She came running into my room and said the neighbors' home is on fire."
Ken Becci, Evacuated Neighbor: "It went from flames that were five to 10 feet, to 50 feet in a minute to two mintues. It's a reality check, just how fast something like that can happen."
Melissa Becci, Evacuated Neighbor: "Then I came outside and saw the flames. It just started getting bigger and bigger. It just got scarier."
The man who lives inside the house tried to put the fire out with a garden hose. That obviously didn't work. He got out of the house, called 911, and was not hurt.
Neighbors how had home on both sides of the blaze had to be evacuated from their homes as a precaution.
Around 6:00 am, firefighters were finally able to get a handle on the fire. By sunrise, reality set in.
Dep. Fire Chief Mike Veenendaal, Sandy City Fire Dept.: "Appears the fire went up the back of the home. Got into the eves, and up into the attic area."
The flames spread to the garage, where they scorched two vehicles. Portions of the roof caved in. The sides of the home are blackened.
A fire truck is still on the scene, ready to go if there are any flare ups.
Damage is estimated at less than 100-thousand dollars.
