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PROVO – Fire officials said they know the cause of an apartment fire in Provo this week that displaced dozens of people.
Provo Fire Captain Jeanie Atherton told KSL-TV that the blaze at The Sycamores apartment complex early Monday morning was caused by a cooking fire that originated in the kitchen of one of the units.
The fire, which Atherton called "pretty significant," led to the evacuation of all 30 apartments in the complex at 351 E. Center Street. The American Red Cross of Utah helped provide shelter for those who were displaced.
As of Wednesday, most residents were allowed to return except for two units that sustained the most damage.
"It's just pretty scary to go through," said Ariel Magera, who has lived at The Sycamores with her family for four months.
They awoke with a start about 5:30 a.m. Monday, when firefighters told them to evacuate.
"By the time we got out the door, it was so filled with smoke that you couldn't even see a foot in front of you," Magera said, "and it was hot."
Magera returned home Wednesday afternoon after the apartment complex told her it was safe to do so. Her unit smelled of smoke. Magera said her family had been staying with relatives since the fire, and they weren't sure when they would return home for good.
"A pretty crazy 48 hours," Magera said. "My kids are still taking it pretty hard trying to adjust to it."
Hilary Davis, with Aspen Ridge Management, which runs The Sycamores, said in a statement Wednesday that the company was "deeply saddened" by the fire.
"Our priority has been to ensure the safety of our residents and that they can return home as quickly as possible. We have focused on working with the city, contractors, and utility companies to make this happen," Davis said. "We've worked to relocate those whose apartments were impacted by the fire, and that effort is ongoing."
Davis added that the units damaged by the fire "will be repaired over the next several months."
Provo fire officials said nobody was hurt in the apartment fire, which they attributed to having working smoke detectors in the building.
"It alerted the people that were in that apartment still that there was smoke and that they needed to evacuate," Atherton said.
The fire captain also said this incident is a cautionary tale.
"Cooking fires are responsible for most of the fires in the United States that destroy homes and can cause injury to people," Atherton said. "We want people to be very vigilant when they're cooking to make sure they pay attention to what they're doing, they don't leave stuff unattended, and make sure you turn off all your appliances when you're done."
Atherton also urged those who are evacuating due to a fire to shut the door as they leave. Doing that, she said, "helps delay that fire from growing, so that it gives us time to get in there and get it extinguished."
