ROCKVILLE, Utah — One person was badly injured Saturday afternoon in a house fire and explosion near Zion National Park.
Hurricane Valley Fire & Rescue reported that they responded to a fire shortly before 1 p.m. in Rockville, located southwest of Springdale.
When firefighters arrived, the fire was coming from the basement of the house at 101 E. Main Street.
There was also an explosion reported; details are limited at this time, but officials said one victim was burned and also suffered "blast injuries." The victim was treated at the scene before being flown to a burn unit in Las Vegas via LifeFlight. Their burns are considered critical.
An investigation is underway into the cause of the fire.
A GoFundMe was created for the family of the victim, Luis Garcia. According to the fundraiser, the fire started when a gas dryer exploded.
In an update shared Tuesday, the family shared that Garcia's condition had improved enough to be taken off a breathing tube and replaced with "high flow oxygen." He will have surgeries to treat his burns in the coming days.
"Luis is such a hard working, kind man. He is a valuable member of his community, a father, husband, and grandfather. Each day he makes more progress and we can’t wait for him to make his recovery," the GoFundMe read.
The family also said Garcia's 11-year-old son was a hero and brought his injured dad up a flight of stairs and out the back door after the explosion and as the house went up in flames.
"Adrian to us, he is a hero in every aspect of the word. Though very shaken from everything going on, he continues to keep a positive attitude. We are so proud of him," the creator of the page wrote.
