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SPRINGVILLE — A young boy and his mother suffered minor burn injuries Tuesday after a fire tore through the living room of a Springville apartment.
The fire at 833 W. 175 South burned the apartment's living room and caused smoke damage to the rest of the duplex. The building sustained between $60,000 and $80,000 in damage, the Springville Fire Department reported.
Firefighters from the Springville, Spanish Fork, Mapleton and Provo responded around 2:30 p.m. and extinguished the flames.
A woman and her 2-year-old son escaped the home before firefighters arrived, but the boy suffered "fairly minor injuries" and was taken to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, Springville Police Lt. Dave Caron said. The mother's hair was singed and she was also taken to the hospital as a precaution, he said.
The fire likely ignited in the area of the Christmas tree, Caron said, but he said it wasn't clear Tuesday whether it was the result of a nearby space heater, bad wiring or something else.
- 1 of every 3 home Christmas tree fires is caused by electrical problems.
- Although Christmas tree fires are not common, when they do occur, they are more likely to be serious.
- On average, 1 of every 31 reported home structure Christmas tree fires results in a death compared to an average of 1 death per 144 total reported home structure fires.
- A heat source too close to the tree causes roughly 1 in every 4 Christmas tree fires.
