Fire extinguished quickly after young teen calls 911

A firefighter puts away hoses and equipment at the scene of a small residential fire, St. George, Utah, Dec. 18, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Thanks to the quick-thinking actions of a 13-year-old girl, firefighters were able to quickly extinguish a small fire at a St. George residence Tuesday afternoon.

St. George Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Hooper speaks to media at the scene of a small residential fire, St. George, Utah, Dec. 18, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

St. George Fire Department Battalion Chief Robert Hooper said the incident occurred shortly after 3 p.m. in one of the town home duplex units located at 316 S. 2450 East. (see Ed. note)

“The occupant heard the smoke detectors go off and saw smoke coming out of the bathroom,” Hooper said, adding that the teenage girl, who was home alone at the time, immediately called 911 and was able to evacuate herself out of the building safely, along with a couple of the family’s pets.

The blaze appeared to have started as a result of an overheated electrical fan in the bathroom, Hooper said, adding that firefighters were able to contain the fire quickly, limiting the damage to that one room.

“There were no injuries, no smoke inhalation, and damage was minimal,” Hooper said, adding that the home’s residents would not need to be displaced.

Firefighters put away hoses and equipment at the scene of a small residential fire, St. George, Utah, Dec. 18, 2018 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

A dozen firefighters in three fire engines and a ladder truck responded to the incident, Hooper said.

St. George Police Department also had officers at the scene, which was cleared about one hour from the time of the initial call.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Ed. note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the location of the fire as 2450 West.

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Twitter: @STGnews

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

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8 Comments

  • Comment December 18, 2018 at 8:41 pm

    What’s amazing is the teen was able to actually make a phone call. I wonder, did she try to text 911 before she realized that you actually have to call them and use your voice the same way as if you’re talking to a real person? I’m glad she didn’t try to “dm” 911 on instagram or something. Well, it’s very heroic, I’m amazed. Maybe there is hope for the youth. LOL.

  • Kilroywashere December 18, 2018 at 9:37 pm

    Just over 2 years ago, late afternoon, I saw a car stopped and idling in the front of my house. Curious, I went out to check it out, kinda strange, and ran into four young men in their early teens, probably local Snow Canyon highschool students. Out of the blue, they were driving by and one of them saw my neighbor across the street behind a hedge of bushes incapacitated on 5he ground taco down. I couldnt believe they saw him as he was really camouflaged. But miraculously they stopped and decided to check it out. Needless to say, we called 911 and got an ambulance. My neighbor couldnt move, and his skull was cracked and bleeding profusely. They left non chalantly, like it was no big deal, but before they did I thanked them for their efforts and told them how amazing it was that they saw my neighbor and intervened. I couldn’t believe the odds. So yes, dont underestimate the youth of this world.

    • Comment December 19, 2018 at 1:17 am

      taco down! we got a taco down over here!

      lol

  • Kilroywashere December 18, 2018 at 9:39 pm

    Face down, forget the taco, lol.

    • ladybugavenger December 18, 2018 at 10:02 pm

      Lol

    • elTrav December 18, 2018 at 10:05 pm

      That’s what I declare after each taco at Alvaro’s: “Taco down.”

  • LegalEye December 19, 2018 at 11:17 am

    The address at the beginning of the article is wrong. It is 2450 East.

    • Avatar photo Paul Dail December 19, 2018 at 12:40 pm

      LegalEye, thank you for your comment. That correction has been made and noted.

      Paul Dail
      Editor in chief

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