WEST VALLEY CITY — Two West Valley City homes were damaged Wednesday in a fire, displacing five people.
The houses near 1537 Russett Avenue, along with three trailers and four vehicles, sustained “extensive” damage, said Jed Peters, a battalion chief with West Valley City Fire Department.
Nobody was injured, but one of the homeowners was treated for smoke inhalation, he said. The man who was treated for smoke inhalation was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose when crews arrived, Peters said.
Witnesses said the houses caught on fire after one of the trailers went up in flames, but Peters said it was too soon for investigators to say where and how the fire began. Some witnesses said the fire may have started with burning trash in a backyard; Peters said investigators are looking into the reports of trash burning but could not confirm the reports.
People were inside both of the houses when the fire began, witnesses said, and one homeowner told another to call for help.
A total of five occupants, all adults, were displaced, Peters said. He said the homes would not be occupiable without significant repairs.
Power lines fell down in the backyard of one of the homes, Peters said. He said the power lines fell onto a chain-link fence between the homes, energizing the fence and causing a slight delay for firefighters trying to access some parts of the fire.
Crews appeared to be mopping up the fire around 7 p.m.
