MT. PLEASANT—Fire crews from Mt. Pleasant, Spring City, Moroni, and Fairview responded to a structure fire on Saturday morning in Mt Pleasant.
Dispatch reported a fire at 385 South 200 West on Saturday, Jan. 22 just before 6 a.m. The home is owned by David and Nan Gunderson and was occupied by Rebecca Neid and her two teenage sons.
The fire started in the attic above an upstairs bathroom and was caused by an electrical fault, according to Fairview Fire Chief Nathan Miner.
Mt. Pleasant’s fire department responded with a truck, but due to the other volunteers being at fire school in St. George, there was only one firefighter available.
“We are so lucky to have such great neighbors in the area who were able to assist David in getting the fire semi-contained prior to the trucks and firefighters arriving,” said Nan, the homeowner.
She said that one of the teenage boys came to their home, a few houses away, and woke them up saying that the house was on fire. David went and got his largest fire extinguisher and ran towards the home. Two other neighbors were there to help.
“Sterling (a neighbor) was smart enough to go shut the gas off to the house before the fireman got there,” she said.
Another neighbor helped to break through the wall so that David could discharge the extinguisher inside the wall.
One neighbor said that it took the fire department several minutes before responding, even though the home was only a few blocks away from the department. She said that they were lucky the other cities were smart enough to not send all their firefighters to school at the same time so that they were able to respond. The guys that had no firefighter experience are what saved the home from being a total loss, she said.
An ambulance also responded to the scene, which is standard for them to do, Miner said. One of the teenage boys was checked out for smoke inhalation but was doing okay, so there was no need to take him in.
Once the fire looked to be out, the fireman left, and the Gundersons along with Neid surveyed the damage and attempted to get what could be saved out of the home. Around 10 a.m., while in the process of getting things out, the fire started back up.
Once again, the Mt. Pleasant firefighter was called back to the house and a truck from Fairview also responded.
The fire had gotten into the insulation and was able to start again inside the wall, where it wasn’t detected earlier that morning.
The home is now uninhabitable and according to the Gundersons, it will take at least six months to rebuild to make it livable again. The Gundersons were able to help Neid find a temporary living solution but are struggling to find her a rental for long term.
