Utah BBQ
MAGNA, Utah — A Magna family tries to figure out what’s next after being displaced from their home over the weekend.
According to Unified Fire Authority, crews responded to a fire in the Sunset Vista Trailer park on Friday evening. They encountered the back of a burning mobile home and managed to extinguish the flames before the fire spread to the entire trailer. Firefighters confirmed the blaze was caused by a fireworks display.
“If you want to do the big fireworks, fine – but just do it in an area where you’ll have no problem doing it,” said Luewanda Martinez, who lives in the house. “I do not want [fireworks] no longer be sold. Like, I want the professionals to do it.
READ: Two families lose homes and pets after separate Price trailer park fires
Martinez and her husband were watching TV in their living room Friday night when she looked out the window after seeing a flash.
“It started like there on a pile by the window by the trailer and then it ignited in the trailer,” Martinez said.
Inside the trailer were his cousin and his cousin’s daughter, along with their kitten. Martinez and her husband tried to put out the flames, but it was too late.
“How big it got, and yeah — that’s when I knew it was really, really bad,” she said.
🎆 Fireworks are legally sold in Utah and may be discharged in specific locations at specific times.
Here’s what fireworks did to a Magna mobile home a few days ago. 👇 pic.twitter.com/uuWBvbHwMj
— 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐞 (@brian_schnee) July 26, 2022
The family now lives in a motel. A bedroom and bathroom in their home were badly damaged, along with items in their hallway. The mobile home also suffered extensive smoke damage. Martinez also says their food is now spoiled.
“We can’t even stay there, we can’t even live there now,” Martinez said.
She created a GoFundMe account to help with expenses, which include clothing, food, accommodation for her family and an even longer daily commute to work.
No tickets were issued in connection with the fire. Firefighters are still investigating where the fireworks were fired from.
According to the Unified Fire Authority’s fireworks map, the area where the fire occurred is within an unrestricted fireworks zone that borders the restriction boundary. However, according to Martinez, the trailer park asked residents not to launch fireworks in the park.
