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Team Coverage An elderly Ogden woman died when her house caught fire early this morning, and fire investigators have now released her name to the public.
Seventy-three-year-old Connie Larson called Jefferson Street home for 50 years, but in seconds the life she knew was gone. Around 5:00 this morning, her home went up in flames.
Right now, Larson's family and friends are pulling items out of the house and salvaging what personal belongings they can. This kind of support is indicative of how well Larson was liked.
"Right now, I have a very empty feeling," friend Tamara Telford said.
Several people saw the flames shooting through Larson's roof and windows this morning. "Just through the trees, it was very high. She's got a lot of stuff in there. She kept a lot," neighbor Gacc Garcia said.
Connie's friend Bud McLaws said, "You can't really put words to it. It's emotional, and she was a great lady."
"Connie was always very friendly and very social whenever I saw her or was around her," Telford said.
Firefighters think the fire had been going for a while by the time they arrived, but they tried to save Larson. "Fire crews kept trying to see if they could see in there. They were unable to make entry," explained Ogden Deputy Fire Chief Chad Tucker.
It was just too dangerous to go inside. "We had heavy smoke and fire coming out all the windows, the front door; and at that point we actually had fire coming through the attic, the roof structure," Tucker said. "These calls at 5:00 in the morning, most people are asleep. It allows fire to spread rapidly, and once you get into a free-burning phase of the fire, it will spread very rapid."
Fire officials say Larson was the only one inside, although they believe she lived with some pets.
Since she was wheelchair-bound, it was tough, if not impossible, to get out of the house. But the wheelchair never held her back. The people we've talked to today said that she was always out and about, dedicated to connecting with people.
"It's sad, you know, it really is sad when you know somebody for so many years and then know that they couldn't get out of the house," Goldie Roskelley said.
Investigators think the fire started in the back of the home, but they're still not sure what caused it.
The home is a total loss and will most likely have to be knocked down.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
