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At least 30 residents displaced in Price after treadmill ignites in gym

Posted at 8:08 AM, Nov 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-05 23:14:24-04

PRICE, Utah - A treadmill in a gym caught on fire Saturday morning, and the blaze spread to some residences on the floors above and displaced at least 30 residents.

“And when I opened my door when the policeman knocked, it was so black I couldn't see down the hall, you couldn't even tell it was lit,” said Stewart Callaway, a tenant in the building.

A dispatcher for the Price City Fire Department says the fire on west Main Street was first reported at 4:35 a.m. and that firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before it was extinguished.

Everyone made it out safely, and no injuries were reported. Price City Fire Chief Paul Bedont said smoke alarms played an important role in keeping the residents safe.

“Smoke alarms save lives," Bedont said. "...If smoke alarms wouldn't have went off, we probably would have been dealing with multiple fatalities in this fire."

Officials at the scene said they determined a treadmill ignited due to some kind of malfunction, and the fire spread to the rest of the gym and then to the residences on the floors above the gym.

The Central Utah Red Cross team responded to the fire, which they said damaged about 15 (of the 22 units) and displaced 30 or more residents. Click here to learn more about the Red Cross or to donate to their efforts.