MILLCREEK, Utah — It was all hands are on deck as fire crews rushed to do everything they could for a massive fire that destroyed two large apartment buildings in Millcreek.
Dozens of residents are now without a home because of a blaze we've learned was sparked by a lawn mower.
Emily Anderson, who lost everything in the fire, was the first one that our crews came upon Friday as she was rushing to safety.
"I was just asleep, and I woke up to hearing a bunch of noise." she said, "They couldn't contain it quick enough, so my building caught on fire. I grabbed my dogs and found somebody to hold onto my dogs while I went back for my boyfriend's cats.”
Hours later, with the flames extinguished, Anderson spoke to our crews again about after escaping danger, becoming emotional about what she had gone through.
"It was orange and red. It looked fake. It looked like a scene from a movie. It just didn't look real. It still doesn't feel real," she said.
Drone video shows devastation left following Millcreek fire:
Taylor Smith also experienced the devastation.
"I saw our deck engulfed in flames," who was on a conference call when the fire began. "I closed my call and I said, 'Honey, we need to go home.’”
Smith reflected on his family's losses in the fire, saying, "Everything's gone. Yeah, we've got our dogs and our kids. Those are the most important things right now.”
While sharing he had a plan for such situations like Friday, Smith said the flames moved too quickly.
"The fire was so quick I couldn't grab the emergency bags," he explained. "So after that, Plan B is everyone gets out, everyone stays alive.”
Another of the fire's victims, Tyler, was despondent.
"I'm pretty devastated," he told FOX 13 News. "All my family stuff is gone."
Tyler was at the bank when he checked a camera inside his home because it alerted him to a sound. Although the alarm wasn’t unusual since he has a dog, he decided to check it anyway.
"I checked the camera, and I heard the fire alarm from the camera.”
Leaving the bank and rushing home, Tyler ran into the flames to save his dog.
"Everything was on fire as I ran and grabbed the dog," he shared. "Firefighters told me not to go. I just ran in, and I had to get him out.”
When asked, "Everything that's important that can't be replaced. It sounds like you got out, right?" he responded, "Everything I can’t buy," with tears in his eyes adding, "That's what I am grateful for, but it just sucks."
Tyler is angry that the fire happened in the first place, discussing the area where the fire started and the lawn mower operated by a Salt Lake City Public Utilities employee that started it while working on city property.
"The city could have done something without a doubt," he believes. "There are dead trees everywhere. I walk my dog, I take the trash out right over there. It's nothing but dead trees.”
Now that the fire is out, people are holding their loved ones tight, thankful they were able to get them out.
Tyler remarked, "Gratefully, we got out, and I'm happy that we're safe.”
"My dogs are alive. My son’s alive. I'm here. I have my boyfriend,” added Anderson, “It’s going to be okay."
