West Valley woman injured in house fire

WEST VALLEY CITY — A woman was hospitalized Tuesday after suffering burns during a fire at her house.

The injured woman ran to a neighbor's house and asked him to call 911.

"I was in there doing dishes and all of a sudden I heard a banging on the door," said Arthur Wilson. "She was standing there all burnt and told me to call the fire department right away."

Wilson said his neighbor had visible burns to her hair and her skin.

"She was pretty shook up. She was asleep downstairs and she woke up," he said. "And I believe her dog's down there still. I don't think he made it."

When firefighters arrived at the home, near 3200 South on Eskeson Drive (4200 West), the woman — who was home alone at the time — was outside and crews immediately began treating her, said West Valley Fire Marshal Bob Fitzgerald.

"When the crews got here there was light smoke coming out of the eaves and out of the openings of the home," he said.

The fire was in a basement family room. Fourteen firefighters worked to quickly contain the blaze, he said. The house suffered between $30,000 and $40,000 in damage. Most of the structural damage was to the basement, but there was smoke damage throughout the home.

The woman, whose name has not been released, was taken to Intermountain Medical Center with "serious injuries" and later transported to University Hospital's burn unit. She apparently suffered some respiratory injuries because of the fire's heat, Fitzgerald said.

Investigators were still working Tuesday afternoon to determine the cause of the fire.

— Brian West