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A fire at an RV repair shop in Bountiful left the owners with millions of dollars in damages.
Witnesses reported smoke coming from the business just before midnight. When crews arrived at 1295 N. Main St., flames already were shooting through the roof.
In the last few hours, more than a dozen people have shown up at Bountiful RV. Some heard the news of last night's fire and wanted to see the damage. But others want to find out if their own property has been destroyed.
RV owner Mike Cheddister said, "It's our winter home. It sounds like it is gone."
Cheddister is just one RV owner who has lost a second-home to a fire that burned for more than 12 hours.
It started last night around 11:45. It appeared that the fire started in a vehicle parked in the garage. By the time firefighters arrive, the flames were big and parts of the roof started to collapse.
Then the firefighters had another problem: propane tanks attached to the RVs.
South Davis Metro Fire Chief Jim Rampton said, "Each one of these, whether it is diesel fuel, gasoline, propane, there are lots of flammable liquids inside this building that are making this very difficult for us to fight."
Firefighters had to evacuate several homes to the south of the building, and the threat of an explosion was enough to get people moving.
Resident Leonel Olvera said, "They told us to wake up everybody because the fire was on."
Another neighbor said, "He came in my room and was like, ‘There's a fire next door.'"
Bountiful RV once was a local produce company well-known in the area. When Peggy Bangerter Hyde saw what was left of her family's company, she knew that legacy was gone.
"When I saw this burned down this morning, I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I can't believe all that history from my life and all the Bangerters goes down in flames,'" she said.
This is one of the biggest fires in Bountiful this year. Firefighters estimate there is several million dollars worth of damage. Right now firefighters are inside mopping up and trying to determine just how many people will be affected by this fire.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
