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SALT LAKE CITY — Firefighters responded Tuesday to a fire that, while doing little damage, left a Salt Lake City family without a home on Christmas Day.
The fire occurred Tuesday morning at 2791 S. State in Salt Lake City. Heavy snowfall caused tree branch to break, which in turn led a power line to catch the roof of the duplex on fire.
Four adults and two children were displaced by the fire, according to Jeff Shuemaker with the American Red Cross. Shuemaker said the fire did little damage to the inside of the home.
"The biggest reason we're here is they had turned off the electricity to the house," he said. He said having to leave their home on Christmas day was "very hard on the family. The children were very upset about it."
The Red Cross will provide emergency housing and food for those displaced until they can return home, likely sometime Wednesday. Shuemaker said the organization has not had to provide services to anyone else on Christmas day this year.
"We're there as the public needs us," he said.
Another seven people were displaced Tuesday evening by a fire that began in the living room of their home.
Firefighters arrived at the home, near 1500 North and 2000 West, just after 6 p.m. Heavy smoke was coming through the window of the front room, said Salt Lake City Fire Department spokesman Jasen Asay. He said crews had the blaze under control within five minutes of their arrival.
The home endured smoke damage throughout and the front room was damaged by flames. The occupants, five adults and two children, were not home at the time of the fire, but said they would stay with other family members until the home was safe to return to.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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