Smoke reports send Pleasant Grove firefighters back to home destroyed by fireworks

PLEASANT WOOD — A Pleasant Grove family is facing losses of nearly $1 million after their home caught fire Thursday night.

Firefighters from across Utah County responded to the blaze in the early morning hours of July 5. Crews said the fire was started by fireworks that were improperly thrown into a garage trash can.

It’s the worst possible outcome of a mistake made after a holiday tradition. A poorly launched Fourth of July fireworks display cost one family their entire house.

Fortunately, no one was injured and neighbors said even pets, some of whom feared they might not survive, escaped.

No one wanted to speak on camera, but a neighbor filmed the fire just after police woke them up and told them to evacuate.

“Somebody picked up fireworks, put them in the trash, put them in the garage, which we strongly discourage because it’s not a safe thing to do,” Pleasant Grove Fire Department Fire Chief Andrew Engemann said in the early hours of the fire.

According to Engemann, the fire started in the garage and quickly spread to the attic. It then reached the roof and caused it to collapse.

By Friday afternoon, the fire was under control and no one was on the scene until reports of smoke and smoldering forced firefighters and police to return to finish the job.

“Once they’re finished, you can’t just assume they’re inert and safe and they’re not going to cause a problem,” Utah County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Spencer Cannon said of used fireworks.

Cannon said he sees fires like the one that ravaged the Pleasant Grove home happen, to some extent, every year. He added that it’s often due to improper waste disposal.

KSL asked Cannon to demonstrate how to properly put out fireworks.

“When you’re done, these things are done,” he said, holding up a sparkler and a small firework on the ground. “All you have to do is throw it in a bucket of water.”

Cannon said used fireworks should be soaked in a bucket of water for more than a few hours because they take a while to completely cool.

He recommended leaving them in a bucket overnight and outside a building to ensure the least risk.