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CLEARFIELD — A fire in a retirement community Monday damaged a house, three mobile homes and a jet ski.
Investigators are trying to figure out what sparked the fire about 5:45 p.m. Monday as one man was working on his RV near 1660 E. 900 South, North Davis Fire District Capt. Allen Hadley said.
The flames then jumped to two other RVs that were parked nearby, ignited the jet ski and began to burn the side of a house, Hadley said. Damage estimates weren't available Monday, but Hadley expects it will exceed several hundred thousand dollars.
Marie here came to my door and pounded on it, so she got me out. She just said, 'Your place is on fire.'
–Ferris Holmes
The house requires some repairs before residents will be able to return, but the RVs were all destroyed.
Extra paramedics were called to the scene when firefighters saw how many structures were burning, Hadley said. It was also an added safety measure as crews battled the blaze in already hot temperatures.
A few propane tanks exploded shortly after crews arrived on scene, but no one was injured.
Seeing the flames threatening her neighbor's home, Marie Johnson rushed to warn her neighbor.
"Marie here came to my door and pounded on it, so she got me out," said Ferris Holmes. "She just said, 'Your place is on fire.'"
The two then hurried to help to another neighbor, who they worried wouldn't be able to get out on her own.
Johnson and her husband were getting their RV and boat ready for a trip with their grandchildren. They managed to save the boat, but their RV is gone. Johnson sent her grandchildren to the end of the street where they would be safe, then turned and watched her trailer burn.
"We had the boat out. We had washed it and gotten it all ready to go, and we were hooked onto it parked in the RV area," Johnson said. "My husband quickly drove the boat out, and then he unhooked from the boat and was going to quickly hook onto the Montana and get it out, and the fire department said … it was too late."
