Firefighters were called to a West Jordan house fire after the home owner failed to quench the blaze with a garden hose.
The home sustained heavy damage Tuesday after flames spread quickly from a shed to an attached garage and then to the house.
The home owner — alerted to the shed fire by a UPS driver who had just delivered a package — initially tried to fight the blaze with garden hoses, said West Jordan Battalion Chief Reed Scharman.
But the first hose he tried was frozen, and the second hose had insufficient water to douse the flames, Scharman said.
The fire department was not called until the fire had spread to the home, at 2818 W. Dimond Drive (7650 South), Scharman said.
By the time firefighters arrived, the garage was fully involved and smoke was pouring from both ends of the house.
Scharman said firefighters were hindered by a propane tank in the shed that was bleeding off fuel. And a low-ceilinged attic on the rambler-style home made it difficult to access flames there, he said.
The home owner was taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Two small dogs and a cat were saved, Scharman said.
Two vehicles parked near the shed were damaged, and there was some damage to the siding of an adjacent home, Scharman said.
Damage was estimated at $150,000.
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Scharman said the cause of the fire was still being investigated as of Tuesday night.
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