An afternoon house fire that started in a kitchen caused about $50,000 damage Wednesday afternoon. No one was home at the time of the blaze.
There were no injuries to emergency personnel fighting the fire, although one of two caged birds inside the residence died from smoke, West Valley City Battalion Chief Stan Varney said.Firefighters knocked the fire out in about 15 minutes after responding to the two-level home at 4197 W. 3830 South just before 4:30 p.m. Heavy smoke billowed from the front living room area and the kitchen was completely gutted when they arrived, Varney said.
A neighbor directly west of the house first saw smoke, then called 911, witnesses said.
Other rooms on the main floor sustained significant heat and smoke damage, but investigators were unable to determine a cause because by Wednesday night the homeowners or other family members had not yet contacted fire officials.
One neighbor who lives down the street said she thought the parents had gone away on vacation and that two sons were staying at the home at the time.