OGDEN, Utah — Residents went back for their belongings hours after a fire broke out early Sunday morning at the mouth of Ogden Canyon, a blaze fire officials believe may have been sparked by fireworks.
“The fire moved very very fast in the home,” said Diana Moreno, a renter of a home that was damaged in the fire. “I started panicking, it was a terrible situation.”
The fire destroyed one home and four outbuildings. Another 40 homes were threatened, prompting residents to evacuate on Sunday.
Home damaged, evacuations ordered after fire in Ogden Canyon:
Weber Fire District received a report around 12:30 a.m. about fireworks in the area near 9th Street. Shortly after, a brush fire was reported at the 9th Street Trailhead.
Diana Moreno, her daughter Carol, and their 3 dogs were home when the brush fire broke out. Shortly after midnight, Moreno and her daughter were getting ready for bed when they suddenly smelled smoke.
“My mom came into my room, and she told me, ‘I kind of smell something,’” Carol Santamaria, 18, said. “I think something is burning in the house.”
Santamaria said she rushed to their dining room area and saw their back walls had already started burning.
“The walls were bright orange and I could see the fire escalating to the roof,” she said.
By Sunday afternoon, they were pulling out belongings from inside their home — it’s roof damaged and ashes covering the floor.
Fire officials say Sunday’s 5.3-acre fire was possibly sparked by fireworks, which are banned in the area. Barry Locke with the Weber Fire District said the blaze was “human-caused.” He said they’re now investigating it as a crime.
After years of hurricanes wrecking their roof in Florida, Santamaria said they came to Utah nearly a year ago for a fresh start, never expecting to face a fire instead.
“Whoever did that, they really damaged people’s lives,” Santamaria said.
No injuries were reported. Sunday’s blaze and the cost of damages is still under investigation.
“Everybody likes fireworks, you don’t want to take that away from people,” Locke said. “Things like this, you know, it ruins it for a lot of people.”
