Fire strikes same Sandy house twice

SANDY — Fire struck twice at a home here Tuesday night and early Wednesday. Now investigators are trying to figure out why they weren't able to detect the second smoldering fire the first time.

The first fire broke out about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. A resident of a home near 2000 East and 8500 South put some toast in an improperly working toaster, said Sandy Fire Chief Don Chase. The toaster did not pop the bread out after it was done cooking, he said.

The resident forgot about the toast, however, and sparks later began flying from the toaster. The heat from it started to melt the electrical system and caught the kitchen cabinets on fire, Chase said.

A father and his two sons evacuated as the fire spread to the family room and hallway.

"Those fires move very fast. They double in size every minute," Chase said.

One of the boys was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Damage was estimated at $50,000.

Chase said crews spent the next two and a half hours at the house putting out hot spots and used an infrared thermal imaging device to look for fire inside the walls. But there was apparently fire still hidden in an area that went undetected.

"Apparently there was something we missed," Chase said. "We think fire was in a hidden place behind the wall in the cabinet. When it gets in the wall and attic and hidden spaces it gives it an opportunity to build."

About 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, a motorist noticed smoke coming from the attic. By the time fire crews arrived it had burst into flames.

The house was uninhabitable after the first fire, and the family was with relatives when the second fire started. Damage from the second fire was estimated at $150,000.

Investigators spent the day Wednesday at the house trying to figure out why they weren't able to spot the hot spot in the wall.

"We will do whatever we need to do to make sure it doesn't happen again," Chase said.

Chase said he did not know Wednesday why the infrared camera did not pick up the fire. Investigators were checking Wednesday if thick insulation or foil-backed insulation might have prevented the cameras from doing their jobs.

"This is unusual," he said. "This is the thing we absolutely train for and check on every fire. When something like this gets by us, we're not happy with it."

The fire happened next door to where another fire killed a man in May. Dr. Herbert Ungricht was killed in a fire that started in his garage. The cause of that fire was ruled an accident.

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Contributing: Laura Hancock.

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com