TOOELE CITY, Utah — As dangerous as fire conditions have been in Tooele lately, Greg Dunn knows how close he came to catastrophe on Wednesday night.
"You know it could’ve been a whole different story,” said Dunn. He and Rhonda Dunn, his wife, have lived in their Tooele home for nearly 40 years.
“I just kept thinking… gosh I finally got the house paid off,” said Dunn. They’ve got a lifetime of memories near 620 North and Carr Fork.
Five homes damaged in Tooele fire that started in shed:
"They saved the houses, we lost the shed and that’s a trade I’ll take any day to tell you the truth,” said Dunn.
Around 6:30p.m. Weds. Tooele City Fire was called to a backyard scene.
“There were three sheds that were total losses. Exteriors damage from flame and smoke to the five houses surrounding those sheds. Two civilians that had burns, at this point I can't verify the degree of the burns,” said Cpt. Bryan Steward, Tooele City Fire Department.
Another neighbor, Randy Ortega explained that his stepdad tried to save their house by watering their backyard.
"He grabbed the garden hose that was over there and started sprayed the grass, trying to save the house as much as he could,” said Ortega.
He shared that his dad will be okay, but he could be in the ICU for a while.
"He got burnt pretty bad, right now he’s up at the University of Utah getting treated. I am just kind of astonished. I feel like we need more safety precautions when it comes to dealing with flammable things,” said Ortega.
This fire came on the tails of another one just a few days ago that damaged two other homes in Tooele. In both of these incidents, firefighters said the fires started in backyards.
As Red Flag Warnings continue, they want everyone to keep the risk top of mind.
"It’s just a very, very dry season. We’ve had very huge fires as well. So that’s the thing, be aware of your surroundings,” said Steward.
Residents told Fox 13 News Utah how grateful they were for our first responders for saving their homes.
"The fire was right there and I have nothing but kudos for the Tooele Fire Department because I mean they stopped it from the home,” said Dunn.
Officials are still investigating what caused the fire.
“They put their lives in the line as well so, really grateful for them,” said Ortega.
