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WEST JORDAN — A woman who survived an explosion and fire that destroyed her West Jordan home on Thursday thanked the officer who helped her to safety as well as those who have supported her and her husband since that time.
Crystal Kelly said Friday she couldn't remember the moment the house exploded, but she vividly recalls the minutes that followed, including when the officer found her.
"I guess he heard me screaming," Kelly told KSL-TV. "He went against what he was told, kicked in the side door and the side gate and he found me."
Kelly said the fire had already started by the time she was being assisted out of the house.
She and her husband, Mike, said the flames consumed everything — from a car in the garage to the roof to the main floor. Only the gutted façade at the front of the house survived the fire.
"There is literally ash in the backyard — ash — (and) the windows got blown all the way out to the road," Kelly said. "I lost my past and my future in that house."
Kelly said her husband's family had already had a horrible and deadly history with fires.
"My husband's father and mother died in a fire, his first cousin and baby died in a fire, the grandma died in a fire," she recalled. "And I said this would never happen to us."
The woman who escaped an explosion and house fire in West Jordan shares her story TONIGHT…ONLY @KSL5TV at 10p #KSLTV#Utahpic.twitter.com/WOoJqcZxgV
— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) November 5, 2022
The couple is staying with family in Utah County while they figure out their next steps. They said they didn't really even have clothing and recently-refilled medications are gone as well.
Kelly said she was able to secure a new driver's license, thanks to the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles.
Relatives set up a GoFundMe* account to assist with expenses, and Kelly said she is grateful for all the support the couple has received already.
She said she still isn't sure how she survived.
"It's amazing," Kelly said. "My family possibly could have been looking for a funeral home today."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
