A house fire in southwest Salt Lake County caused about $20,000 damage and injured one Salt Lake County firefighter Friday afternoon.
Firefighters were called to 1921 E. La Cresta Drive (6790 South) about 1:30 p.m. Friday. Two people that were still in the house managed to get out safely before emergency crews arrived."We saw fire coming out of the upper bedroom window," said Salt Lake County Fire Capt. Rex Sylvester. "It was practically fully involved."
Karen Menchow was one of the first firefighters on the scene and suffered second-degree burns from a flash that apparently occurred while she was making the initial attack on the blaze.
"She just got in when it was plenty hot," said Sylvester, who explained that temperatures in such fires can reach 1300 degrees. Menchow was treated at Cottonwood Hospital and later released.
Firefighters were able to knock down the blaze within a few minutes. Fire damage was contained to an upper bedroom, but other items throughout the house also ignited because of the intense heat, he said. Damage was estimated between $15,000 and $20,000.
Although the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, Sylvester said a 6-year-old living in the house had a reputation for playing with a cigarette lighter and starting small fires. The blaze apparently began in a closet inside the boy's bedroom.