Elderly man escapes unharmed from 2-alarm fire in northeast Salt Lake City

By Bob Mims

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Mar 18 2013 06:43 am • Last Updated Mar 18 2013 11:15 pm

Firefighters rushed to the scene of a two-alarm blaze early Monday morning at a northeast Salt Lake City home and rescued its elderly owner.

The Salt Lake City Fire Department confirmed Monday afternoon that the fire was electrical and was caused by heat tape on the roof.

The 5:30 a.m. fire at 1377 E. Tomahawk Drive (595 North), about a mile from the University of Utah campus, took about an hour to control. Department spokesman Jasen Asay said the location of the home, up a steep driveway, meant crews had to unroll nearly 1,000 feet of hose.

Asay said the home’s smoke alarm alerted a private security company, which then called firefighters to the scene.

Firefighters helped the house’s owner, who is in his 90s, escape as flames began shooting from the roof. Asay said firefighters then reentered the home to get the homeowner a robe and shoes to wear. The man stayed inside a fire engine until his relatives arrived.

A loss estimate was still being assessed, but Asay said damage was limited to the attic and roofing.

Two years ago, during the fire department’s "Ready, Set, Go" program, crews visited this area to talk with residents who live in high-risk wildfire areas — and the wild land-urban interface — how to best prepare themselves and their properties against fire threats. One fire captain spoke with this particular homeowner, and was given a tour of both the inside of the home and the surrounding area.

That captain was on the first-arriving crew for this fire, Asay said, and his knowledge of the house was beneficial in locating the fire and quickly keeping it from spreading throughout the house.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims

Copyright 2013 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

About Reader Comments

---

Reader comments on sltrib.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Salt Lake Tribune. We will delete comments containing obscenities, personal attacks and inappropriate or offensive remarks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. If you see an objectionable comment, please alert us by clicking the arrow on the upper right side of the comment and selecting "Flag comment as inappropriate". If you've recently registered with Disqus or aren't seeing your comments immediately, you may need to verify your email address. To do so, visit disqus.com/account.
See more about comments here.