SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah – Newly released 911 calls paint an emotional picture of the scene after a van burst into flames with a family of five inside.
What started as a peaceful Sunday at Pelican Bay Marina in Saratoga Springs, soon turned into an emotional and frightening scene when a van burst into flames with a family of five inside.
“We were out here fishing and all of the sudden you just see [it]” one man can be heard telling a 911 dispatcher.
Police dispatch received more than a dozen calls Saturday as people watched the van burst into flames, before fully engulfing.
“It’s a van, the whole thing is engulfed!” another man told police dispatch.
“Oh my God, it is about to blow up!” one woman said as she was reporting what she saw. “Yeah, that’s about to blow up!”
A sense of panic can be heard in each person’s call.
“There are children that have been injured, burned,” another man said.
“People burned!” the woman continued. “Is someone coming?”
Firefighters worked quickly to douse the flames and the family was transported to the University of Utah burn unit.
At last report from the family, the two older children came away with minor injuries, they have been released from the hospital.
The father sustained severe burns to his hands from trying to get his 4-year-old daughter out of her car seat.
The mother remains at the burn unit in stable condition. The little girl remains in critical condition.
A fundraising page has been created for the family, it can be found here.
