Fire begins in doghouse, kills puppies and spreads to home

Firefighters at the scene of a fire that destroyed a home in Cedar City, Utah, Feb. 25, 2019 | Photo by Tracie Sullivan, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY —  A home was destroyed Monday afternoon and several puppies killed following a fire that started in the nearby doghouse where the animals were staying.

Cedar City fire crews responded to the scene located at 4981 West and 1125 South at around 3 p.m. The southwest corner of the home and the entire attic was engulfed in flames by the time authorities arrived, Fire Chief Mike Phillips said.

The incident started when a heater in the doghouse meant to keep the puppies warm caught fire and ignited the southwest corner of the modular home. With the wind blowing at an estimated 18 miles per hour and gusts up to 30 miles per hour, the fire grew quickly, Phillips said.

“The wind was blowing hard,” the chief said, “and it took no time for that fire to spread from the doghouse to the home to the attic.”

The homeowner, who suffered first-degree burns, was able to save six of her 10 dogs, including the mother.

The loss of the home is estimated at be $150,000 plus the contents inside, Phillips said. Fire crews were able to salvage some computers before the fire completely engulfed the residence. However, everything else was destroyed.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!