Fire destroys home in Tooele County

RUSH VALLEY, Tooele County — Fire investigators are working to determine what caused a fire that claimed a home in Rush Valley Tuesday.

The owner of the home at #3 Arthur Circle awoke to the sound of crackling and called 911 around 9 a.m. Tuesday, said Tooele County Emergency Management spokesman Wade Mathews. Firefighters responded quickly and nearly had the fire under control when they went to transition between water sources.

In that time, the winds increased to speeds estimated at 20 to 30 mph and the fire expanded.

"Firefighters had to evacuate the home as the second story began to collapse," Mathews said.

There are no fire hydrants in Rush Valley, so the firefighters used water from Stockton, about five miles away. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the home and kept it from spreading to an adjacent home on the property.

Seven fire departments responded to the scene, Mathews said.

The home's two residents were able to grab some belongings and make it out of the home to the nearby home of a relative. No one was injured in the blaze, Mathews said.

The home was a complete loss, but Mathews said he could not estimate the amount of damage caused. The state fire marshal was on the scene Tuesday to determine what sparked the blaze.

— Emiley Morgan

Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam