Three house fires, one month
An unusual fire season is prompting action for the City
(photo by Zoe Gardner)
by Kenny Fallon Jr.
On July 10th, the GR Fire Dept put out house fires that had burned for over nine hours and severely damaged two houses on North Long Street across from the ball fields. These are the second and third houses to burn within a month, after a smaller house fire occurred on South Cherry Street back in June. According to Steph Crabtree of the Fire Dept, this frequency of house or structure fires in the summer is unusual: most structure fires in GR have happened in the winter, caused by space heater issues. In response, the City has sent letters calling for locals to maintain their property in fire-wise ways.
A Salt Lake City fire inspector established a general area where the July 10th fire began, but did not determine a conclusive cause. What is known is that the fire was already pretty big when the Fire Dept was dispatched late in the afternoon on a 100-plus degree day. Crabtree pointed out that this fire was especially dangerous for a few reasons:
A delay in calling 911 gave the fire time to grow before the expert firefighters arrived.
Downed power lines and limited maneuverability in the yard complicated the Fire Dept’s work.
Propane tanks between the first house to catch fire and the neighboring house slowed down the Fire Dept as they waited for the safety valves to open (otherwise the tanks might explode). These valves are also sometimes triggered by extreme heat from the sun, so keeping only partially full during the summer, adding reflective paint, building small shelters, or hosing off tanks when it's very hot out might be good things to try.
The fire eventually spread to the attic of a neighboring house, but was contained before going further. Locals showed up quickly to help out, bringing water bottles for the heavy-gear-burdened Fire Dept. The Moab Valley Fire Dept assisted in putting out the fire (they’ve come up before, and the GR Fire Dept has gone south too, such as for the Pack Creek wildfire a few years ago).
What can be done by regular people to help?
911 should always be the first call once a fire begins. Bystanders should also call 911 unless they see the Fire Dept already working on the fire.
If it’s not burn season and you see a brush fire or nearby smoke, at least call the non-emergency dispatch number to make sure they are aware. If someone has a special permit, or if it’s an agricultural burn pile, the dispatch center should know about it.
Be especially aware through September, which is the riskiest time of year for accidental fires.
Remove debris from your yard.
Maintain a clear, defensible space around your house and between buildings.
During a fire, the most helpful thing for bystanders to do is be available for firefighter direction. Firefighters are the best people to assess risk when putting out a fire, and if you jump in, you split their attention between you and the fire, potentially putting yourself in harm's way and slowing down the overall effort to put out the fire.