Outdoor fire torches side of house and attic, causing extensive damage

ST. GEORGE – An early-morning house fire on 850 East is believed to have caused as much as $250,000 in damage.

See video in media player above featuring St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker.

The fire was reported around 1:50 a.m. Tuesday when a woman passing by on 900 East saw flames and smoke rising from a home on the other side of the block, St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker said.

Firefighters responded to an early-morning fire that scorched the side of the home and also got into the attic where it did extensive damage, according to St. George Fire Chief Robert Stoker. St. George, Utah, July 10, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Robert Stoker, St. George News

A fire engine and crew that had been at Dixie Regional Medical Center for a fire alarm arrived at the scene at 795 S. 850 East within a few minutes and found the fire on the south end of the home.

“When they arrived, there was quite a bit of fire on the exterior on the south side and it made its way into the attic,” Stoker said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the exterior fire, but also had to go inside the home to knock out parts of the ceiling over the garage and the second floor in order to get to where the fire had crept in from the outside.

This resulted in extensive damage in the attic space on the second floor, Stoker said, estimating the damages to be between $200,000 and $250,000.

The fire is believed to have originated on the patio on the home’s south end and there is no suspicion of a lightning strike at this time, he said.

No injuries were reported as the home was vacant when the fire occurred, the family having moved into a new home a few blocks away just a few days prior to the fire.

They had been doing some limited remodeling of the home in preparation of selling it.

Approximately 25 firefighters, three fire engines and a ladder truck were dispatched to the fire.

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • Not_So_Much July 11, 2018 at 6:50 am

    Move along, nothing suspicious here.

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