Firefighters battle two-alarm West Jordan house fire

Four people were able to get out of a West Jordan home safely after a fire started in the garage Sunday morning.

West Jordan Fire Battalion Chief Duane Paxton said Sunday that firefighters were called to the home, 8871 S. 3680 West, at about 8:30 a.m. An elderly couple, along with their daughter and granddaughter — who were at the home visiting — were out of the house before fire crews arrived.

Paxton said the couple's daughter noticed smoke coming from under the door that led to the garage. By the time fire crews arrived, the blaze had spread into the living area of the home through the roof.

He said that because the West Jordan home had been remodeled several times, it was difficult to put the fire out.

"It made it hard to find the seed of the fire," Paxton said, adding that fire crews had to cut several holes in the roof to find the blaze.

The two-alarm fire took about 20 minutes to get under control; crews were able to douse all of the hot spots within about an hour, Paxton said.

Paxton estimated the home suffered about $70,000 in damage. Because of the holes cut into the roof, the home is currently uninhabitable.

While authorities know the fire began in the garage, they could not immediately determine the official cause.

jmiller@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jm_miller