OGDEN — An Ogden family was displaced after a fire destroyed part of their house Friday night.
At about 9:50 p.m., the family heard a popping sound from just outside their garage at 611 Gramercy Ave., and found a fire burning, said Ogden Fire Battalion Chief Corey Barton.
They tried to put it out with an extinguisher, but were unsuccessful, he added.
A passerby called 911 after seeing the 20-foot tall flames burning out of the garage.
Firefighters from Ogden and the North View Fire Department arrived within minutes.
As the fire started to spread, the mother was in the backyard. Her 20-year-old son told her to hop a fence to get away from the house, since it would not be safe to go through it.
Neighbors said they saw 30- to 40-foot tall flames coming from the house as they drove or ran over to see if everyone was alright. They found the family safely on the opposite side of the street, watching as firefighters tried to do what they could for their home.
The flames had spread to a truck in a driveway to the south of the house, as well as to part of the home to the north of the residence.
Within 10 minutes of their arrival, the firefighters had knocked down the spreading fire, Barton said.
The firefighters contained the damage to the family’s home to the garage, two vehicles and the kitchen. The home is not a total loss and the family may be able to live in the home again; however, the family of three is staying with relatives for the time being, Barton said.
An investigator will try to determine what started the fire. As of Friday night, Barton said there were no obvious signs as to the cause of the fire.
Barton estimates the damage to be about $45,000 between the family’s home and the two adjacent properties.
Though the family was able to evacuate the home before any of them were injured, their pet birds did die.
The son, though, is glad that his family is safe.
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