MILLCREEK, Utah (KUTV) — More than 40 people were permanently displaced overnight after a fast-moving fire tore through Millcreek apartment buildings, forcing many families to flee with little or no warning.
Residents recounted a chaotic and terrifying scene as people rushed to escape before two apartment buildings were destroyed by the fire.
“It’s like everything filled with smoke so fast. Embers were falling… it was like the world was ending,” said Gage Easton, a Millcreek resident.
There was no warning and no time to think.
“It was just a wall of fire… just kind of roaring,” he said.
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Investigators said the fire started when a lawnmower struck a rock, sparking flames in the dry grass. In seconds, the dry grass behind the complex turned into a storm of flames.
Easton said he was home alone when the fire tore through the trees behind his unit. He said his upstairs neighbors yelled “fire,” alerting him to the danger.
“It’s a miracle that no residents were seriously injured,” said Unified Fire Authority Capt. Tony Barker.
Pushed by strong winds, the flames jumped from the open field into nearby homes, changing lives in minutes.
“My heart just breaks for those it’s affecting. It’s heartbreaking,” said Millcreek resident Melissa Gailey.
More than 40 people are now without homes. Unified Fire officials said two buildings are completely uninhabitable.
“I feel like I’ve just been in shock all day. I’ve just been shaking, and I don’t think it’s really sunken in,” said Easton.
That shock is still setting in for dozens of families now left with nothing. The flames may be out, but the impact is far from over.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve probably ever experienced,” said Easton.
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