Firefighters responded to a garage fire near 3365 E. Birch Circle in Millcreek early Tuesday morning. The incident marked the fourth working structure fire the area had seen in about 36 hours.
A resident reported waking up to the smell of smoke around 3:30 a.m. Unified Fire Authority Battalion Chief Jon Wilde stated that when the homeowner opened the garage door, they encountered heavy smoke and flames. The resident was able to call 911 from a balcony and escape the home safely.
Upon arrival, firefighters found the garage heavily involved in the fire. Crews mounted an aggressive attack which prevented the flames from spreading to nearby houses.
While the string of recent incidents has kept crews working at a demanding pace, Wilde noted that a Monday morning shift change provided fresh personnel. However, due to high heat, officials have been calling for additional resources immediately upon responding to working fires.
One firefighter received treatment at the scene for minor heat exhaustion but did not require transport to a hospital.
Unified Fire Authority was assisted by crews from Salt Lake City Fire and South Salt Lake Fire. Investigators are currently looking into the cause of the fire, though Wilde stated that no common factor has been found linking this incident to the other recent fires in Millcreek.
