Valley fires kill 4
Two fires, less than 10 hours apart, claimed the lives of three Cache Valley children and one adult Wednesday.
A Logan mother and two of her young children died Wednesday morning when a fire, likely caused by faulty wiring, started in their apartment. In all, 17 people are left homeless and Logan City Police are still waiting for an autopsy to determine whether the woman was pregnant.
Around 5:30 p.m., less than 10 hours after the fatal fire in Logan, a 12-year-old Smithfield girl was killed when her family trailer caught fire.
The girl was found in the burning trailer and was taken to Logan Regional Hospital. There she was pronounced dead. Her identity has yet to be released.
Christina Lee Ward and her two youngest children were asleep when the fire started, said Capt. Eric Collins, head of the Logan City Police Department’s investigation, and awoke to smoke instead of the potentially life-saving warning from a smoke detector.
While all of the units in the four-plex were equipped with smoke detectors, there were no batteries in any of the detectors in any of the apartments, Logan City Fire Chief Mark Meaker said.
“This is a tragic incident,” Meaker said. ” It breaks the heart of every police [officer] and firefighter.”
Even without the warning of a smoke detector, there are signs that the mother made an attempt to get her children out of the apartment.
She was found near a window in the split-level apartment’s upstairs bedroom, Collins said, her 4-year-old son underneath her body, her 2-year-old daughter 5 feet away at the foot of the bed.
“There’s some indication that she had moved to the window,” Collins said. “There’s some indication that she made an attempt to get out.”
According to a story in The Salt Lake Tribune, Ward was pregnant, officials say they are still awaiting an autopsy report for confirmation.
A joint investigation of the Logan City Police and Fire Departments and the Utah Fire Marshall, revealed the fire stemmed from faulty wiring in the kitchen, behind the stove, Meaker said.
“All three agencies are in agreement that this is not a crime,” he said. “This is an accidental fire – a tragically accidental fire.”
Still, Meaker said it is unclear whether the problem was within the apartment walls, or with a kitchen appliance.
The investigation will continue until a definite cause has been determined, said Capt. James Geier, a spokesman for the police department.
“There are still things we need to do and document,” he said. “There are more questions we need to ask.”
Seven people were living in the apartment, Geier said. The woman’s husband had left earlier for work and two of her children, ages 6 and 8, were at school.
One man, a 21-year-old friend of the family who was asleep on a sofa downstairs, escaped, Collins said.
“When he awoke the fire was fairly well evolved,” Collins said. “All he could do was escape himself.”
Collins said the man made an attempt to go back into the house once he realized there were still people inside, but was overcome by smoke and heat.
The initial 911 call came at 8:48 a.m. Officers in the area saw the plume of smoke and were on the scene almost immediately, Geier said.
Tenants in apartment 3 managed to escape on their own and apartments 1 and 4 were empty at the time of the fire.
Firefighters battled with the flames for more than 20 minutes, Meaker said. The four-plex has been red tagged, he said, and will be uninhabitable for three to four months. Only apartment No. 2 was ruled a total loss.
The fire serves as a tragic reminder of the need to maintain functional smoke detectors, Meaker said. And, to those who qualify, the Logan City Fire Department offers free smoke detectors and batteries, he said.
Members of the Red Cross have come to the aid of the families, providing food, clothing, shelter and support to more than 17 affected family members.
Community officials also came out in support Wednesday and a fund for the families has been set up at Cache Valley Bank. Those interested in donating can do so in person at 101 N. Main St. or by calling 753-3020.
“On behalf of our community, I just want to express our sincere sorrow,” Mayor Doug Thompson said. “Our sincere condolences go out to the family and especially the surviving husband and children.”
-acf@cc.usu.edu
Crew leader Joe Bach (left) and Fire Chief Meaker (right), one of the first firefighters on the scene, discuss the details of Wednesday morning´s apartment fire located on 500 South between 200 and 300 West. The fire left the entire complex uninhabitable and killed a mother and two of her children. (Photo by Michael Sharp)