Historic home in Ogden goes up in flames

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Sarah Dallof reporting Fire destroyed a century-old house in Ogden. Now, investigators want to know how it started.

Historic home in Ogden goes up in flames

It's an ongoing investigation right now. The home was vacant, but investigators believe squatters may have been staying there. However, the loss is tough, especially for one Ogden native.

The historic home on Fowler Street is now a charred black shell. Deputy Chief Chad Tucker of the Ogden City Fire Department said, "Looks like this won't be a habitable structure."

Firefighters struggled for two hours. The 100-year-old home was built without fire breaks between floors. "It gives you an open channel, or a chimney if you will, that goes straight from the basement to the attic," Tucker said.

The front porch is in bad shape. It wasn't great before the fire, but go back 50 years and that porch holds a lot of history for the Klein family.

Margie Klein, the former homeowner, raised her 10 children and two St. Bernards in the home. She said, "We paid $6,000 for it, $5,500 really."

The front porch can be seen in the background at birthday parties, graduations, and family reunions, mostly from the '50s and '60s.

The staircase is now blackened. It served as the spot to hang Christmas stockings. "With 10 kids, you had to work your way in Christmas morning to get to the tree," Margie said.

The Kleins moved out in the '70s, but Margie continued to check up on her home. She said, "Over the years, it was being run down, not being taken care of."

Now, it's in the worst shape of all; a sad sight for the mother of 10.

Damages are estimated at $100,000.