ST. GEORGE — A fire that took from late Sunday night to near midday on Monday to extinguish left destroyed a historical home in Toquerville.
Nobody was injured and fire officials said the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
The fire, at 188 Toquerville Blvd., was first reported between 10 and 11 p.m. Sunday night, and Hurricane Valley Fire Battalion Chief Nick Wright said it took 12 hours to put out the fire because of the older construction of the home that was more than 110 years old.
When firefighters came upon the scene, the windows were full of fire and flames could be seen grabbing onto the roof.
“Because of the age of the house and the several additions to the house, it took several hours to douse the fire,” Wright said. “Smoke and flames were coming out of the attic area.”
According to city and historical records, the home was built in 1906 for the second wife of William A. Bringhurst, after he had been one of the first settlers of Parowan and Las Vegas.
Bringhurst was among the first pioneers to come to Utah with Brigham Young in 1847 and ended up being one of the first people to call Parowan home. He was later called upon by Young to be president of a Las Vegas Mission and led the building of a fort in 1855, which still stands today as a historic park in Las Vegas.
After the fort was abandoned two years later, according to historical records, Bringhurst returned to Utah and settled in Toquerville, becoming bishop of the Toquerville Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 30 years. He was later tapped by Young to be among the seven founding trustees of Brigham Young Academy, later known as BYU.
Bringhurst died in 1883, and 23 years later, the home was built for his surviving second wife, Suzanne Steele Bringhurst.
By midday Monday, while the outside walls of the home seemed mostly intact, the entire interior of the single-story home was gutted. There was a large hole in the roof, with the roof itself seemingly close to caving in.
“It’s a total loss,” Wright said.
Along with Hurricane Valley, fire agencies from Washington City and Hildale also provided help. Wright said those that lived in the home weren’t hurt.
“The house was occupied, but all but one family member was out of the house at the time,” Wright said. “He was home but left the house after law enforcement told him the house was on fire.”
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