OGDEN, Utah (KUTV) — A resident said they woke up coughing in a room filled with smoke during a house fire in Ogden that displaced six people and four pets and caused an estimated $70,000 in damage.
Julie Valencia said the fire started in the basement in her son’s room, but he had decided to sleep in the living room.
“He couldn’t breathe. He was coughing, and when he woke up, he saw that the basement was just all black — everything. There was just so much smoke. So he ran to the room and opened the door, and when he opened the door, the flames flew at him, knocked him over and sent him flying back,” Valencia said.
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Crews were dispatched to a structure fire in the 100 block of Quincy Avenue around 4:45 a.m. Firefighters contained and fully extinguished the blaze within an hour.
Officials reported that no people or animals were inside the building when firefighters arrived, according to the Ogden Fire Department.
Valencia said her two sons, her son’s girlfriend and her mother all escaped safely. She said her cousin, who lives in the home, was not there at the time of the fire. The family’s pets, including a dog, two cats and a pet lizard, also made it out safely.
The family was staying with relatives as they recovered from the incident. Valencia believed a candle may have started the fire, but officials said the exact cause remains under investigation.
A GoFundMe was created to help the family after the fire.
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