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Ashley Hayes Reporting Firefighters all across the valley have been busy this weekend putting out house fires. Several families are homeless as a result of those fires and in one case a man was killed.
The causes of all these fires are different, but what is more noticeable is what they have in common. Of the five house fires we've seen in just the last three days, the latest being one in West Valley, almost everyone made it out.
Unfortunately, in one case a man was killed, but he is the exception. With most of these fires taking place overnight or in the morning, it's lucky so many people escaped.
Friday, a Salt Lake City man and his dog were killed inside a morning house fire.
Asst. Chief Dennis McKone, Salt Lake City Fire Dept.: "This is always one of the worst cases, especially when we haven't had a fatality in quite a while. I'm not even sure we had one last year."
Firefighters believe 64-year-old Earnest Reed fell asleep smoking a cigarette which caught his house on fire. He died. He had no smoke detectors inside his home.
On Saturday in Provo a neighbor came home from the grocery store to this.
Chris Goins, Neighbor: "We pulled up and called 9-1-1 first thing and made sure everyone was out of the house and moved vehicles the fire went up quick. Quick. Really quick."
This time the source was a kitchen stove. No one was hurt, but two families are homeless. At 165-thousand dollars, the building is a complete loss.
Also on Saturday a West Jordan couple woke up to smoke and fire coming from their garage. Firefighters believe a candle left burning in the garage ignited the house fire. The couple escaped, but their pets, two cats and two birds, were killed.
In South Jordan a fire in the fireplace spread to the walls before the three people inside got out. Firefighters were able to stop the fire from spreading throughout the house.
And in West Valley this morning an electrical fire caused 100-thousand dollars in damage. The homeowner survived, but suffered second degree burns when he went back inside his home to get a personal belonging. He had to break a window in the basement to escape.
With many more winter weeks ahead of us firefighters want people to be aware of the risks.
Jay Torgersen, Unified Fire Authority: "Be careful with any kind of heating source—furnaces and alternative sources for heat. Make sure using the manufacturer's instructions on space heaters. Make sure there is adequate space between the heater and anything that might catch fire."
And this time of year a lot of people are burning candles they may have received as gifts. Certainly need to monitor those. Also, monitor what is left burning on the stove, make sure the flews in their chimneys are clean before having fires, and smokers should never smoke in bed.
