PROVO, Utah – Firefighters from multiple stations responded to the home of one of their own Saturday afternoon, and after battling the blaze for about an hour three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
According to a press release from Provo Fire & Rescue officials, the fire broke out at 2655 West and 1210 North around 2:35 p.m.
The home belongs to Jeremy Craft, who is a Battalion Chief with Provo Fire & Rescue. The family was not home when the fire began, and neighbors who saw smoke coming from the upstairs of the home reported the fire to authorities.
"Normally I'm the guy that runs to those fires," Craft said.
Dogs inside the home needed help getting out of the house. Craft said he is grateful for the efforts of his colleagues.
"Those guys worked so hard, to save what I have here, you know, and I could tell in their eyes it was personal," he said.
The fire was in a void space, according to the press release, and officials said that because of that it took about an hour to get the flames under control. Three firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation.
"This was a difficult fire just because of the spot that it was at, and we ended up turning it into an aerial operation, which turned it into a defensive fire," Capt. Dean York said.
A total of 26 firefighters responded, "from all five Provo Fire Stations as well as Orem," according to the press release.
Craft said being on the other side of the situation was an eye-opening experience.
"I've always tried really hard to understand what people go through that we respond on," he said. "Wow. I didn't, I didn't know. I didn't know how deeply that cuts."
Among the items lost were projects Craft and his wife worked on together.
I'm a carpenter, and the majority of the furniture in my home, I built--or my wife and I built together," he said. "And it's gone. How do you put a value on something like that?"
The fire started in an upstairs bedroom, and the release stated the cause was accidental—likely sparked by an electrical malfunction in a wall outlet.
The damage is estimated at about $300,000.
