Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
AMERICAN FORK — One woman was found dead following an explosion and fire at a duplex in American Fork on Wednesday morning.
Firefighters received calls about the explosion in a retirement community near 300 E. Main around 5:50 a.m. More than 20 vehicles responded to the call, and the fire was extinguished, said American Fork Police Chief Cameron Paul.
Officials said one woman was found dead after the fire was extinguished, and American Fork Fire Battalion Chief Brandon Boshard said another woman was safely evacuated from the duplex. He said he believes there were only two occupants in the building — one in each unit — but they will continue to search once it is safe to enter the structure.
"There is debris everywhere," he said. "There's many homes and other duplexes in the area with heavy damage."
The family of Shirley Hunt, the 82-year-old woman who made it out of the fire, said they don't know how she walked out alive with just a few burns and bruises.
According to Hunt's daughter Tammy Beck, the gas company Dominion Energy was working for a couple of hours on a gas line Tuesday that may have been eroding. The workers gave Hunt the all-clear to go back into the home.
Dominion Energy said in a statement they were completing routine maintenance in the area Tuesday. Workers were on scene Wednesday helping with the investigation and collecting information to try to help determine what caused the explosion.
Several neighbors described being woken by the blast early Wednesday morning.
"The walls shook. We heard a loud explosion. A loud boom, and I almost fell out of bed because I was so startled by it," said Jordan Haight. "We thought it was like an earthquake or something."
Steve Landeen said he "felt this shockwave immediately followed by a thump; like a boom thump."
Boshard said a pet dog was also discovered safe, a few hours after the initial response, when the canine walked out of the structure on its own.
"When he came out of that house, I was like, 'Where did he come from?'" Boshard said. "It's unbelievable. Like he was wet, covered in insulation and debris."
Crews are still working to identify the cause of the fire, and officials have not released the identity of the woman who was killed.
Several nearby houses were damaged, and many were covered in debris.
"I've never seen anything like this before," Haight said of the aftermath. "I mean when I was in California — the fires, there's ash all around, but nothing as big as this."
🔥🔥🔥FIRE🔥🔥🔥
— Karah Brackin (@kbontv) March 20, 2024
Major response underway in American Fork. I'm counting 20+ emergency vehicles. Smoke is still in the air. Ladder stuck can be seen in the distance.
We're live this am on @KSL5TV. pic.twitter.com/6fRabPbDoT
