Clinton fire officials say a neighbor helped to save several family members from fire on Friday night. Still, damage to the home equals about $300,000. (Photo Credit Clinton City Fire Department)
(This story has been updated to reflect the cause of the house fire.)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Clinton fire department reports via tweet that a house fire on Friday night was due to an unattended propane heater. In a tweet, the department said the heater was too close to combustibles in the garage. Previously, the department said the fire had begun in the garage and later spread to the home’s upper levels.
It was an alert neighbor that noticed a garage was on fire and helped get a Clinton family out of their home before the fire spread on Friday night. There were three people at home when the fire was burning.
And though there was no loss of life and no injuries, the property damage after the blaze is estimated at $300,000 according to the Clinton City Fire Department.
KSL.com reports the fire began in the garage at 673 W. 1860 North in Clinton, Utah.
Officials say it didn’t take long for the fire to spread to the upstairs level and attic of the home adjacent to the garage.
Clinton City Fire Chief David Olsen says that in addition to damage caused to the structures on the property, two vehicles were inside the garage when the fire began and they were completely destroyed.
The heat of the fire was so intense, Olsen said, that the front end of a vehicle parked outside of the closed garage was damaged by the heat.
If there is a lesson to be learned, Olsen said that the homeowners did the right thing by keeping shut the door that connects the garage and the home. He said the fire would have spread even faster if that door had been open.