Provo house fire displaces two families

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Provo house fire displaces two families

A fire Sunday afternoon in the garage of the home at 460 W. 730 South has left two families temporarily displaced, according to Capt. Tom Torgersen of the Provo Fire Department.

"The call came in about 1:40 p.m. that there was structure fire at a single family home," Torgersen said. "When the fire department got on the scene there was heavy fire coming out of the garage."

Torgersen said firefighters got to it quickly, but the fire had been smoldering for quite a while. Most of the damage was to the garage and the laundry room inside the house.

The owner, whose name was not released, had been showering and heard the electric garage door go up. She went to investigate and saw the fire. She, her three children and two renters in the basement apartment got out of the home without injury.

According to Torgersen, the home sustained heavy smoke damage and three vehicles had severe damage. He estimated about $75,000 in damage. Investigators determined an old refrigerator motor that was kept in the garage was the fire's source.

Torgersen added the families were lucky this happened during the day because the home lacked smoke detectors and the family may not have been made aware of it in time.

"If this had been at night there could have been loss of life," he said.

The American Red Cross, Utah Region, is providing food, clothing and shelter for three adults and three children (ages 5, 7 and 8) who are currently unable to return to their home. The three children also received stuffed animals to comfort them, and American Red Cross volunteers are prepared to provide further assistance if needed.


Read more: http://www.heraldextra.com/news/loca...#ixzz1jfOgi74s

VIDEO Footage of Fire:
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=1888...-people-escape

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