FAIRVIEW, Utah — A Fairview family said it’s almost fitting that a devastating fire happened on Valentine’s Day, as not only was it the worst day of their lives, but it's one where they never felt more loved.
From the moment of the fire, the Johnsons have experienced gratitude from an entire community, not just in Utah, but from many across the world who have shown an outpouring of love and support.
"It was like pop, pop, pop and they were like, 'Let’s go check the breakers,'" family member Corrine Barton shared. "And by the time they opened the door, the smoke was billowing out."
Barton watched in horror as her daughter’s home burned in the fire. The Johnson family of six were all home, including the kids who were off from school ahead of the long President's Day holiday weekend.
"Everybody got out. Within a minute they got out," Corrine explained.
It all happened so fast, and it could have been much worse. Barton's daughter, Emily Johnson, is a pharmacist who works nights at Riverton Hospital. However, because recent snowfall was so bad, she was unable to get through Spanish Fork Canyon and had a rare day at home, which her mom said was just one of many blessings.
"She would have been asleep with her earplugs in and everybody else would have been gone," Barton said. "I think she would have woke up in heaven."
The family has since been humbled by the generosity of friends and neighbors.
"Every time you start to feel defeated, something happens to lift you up," said Barton.
Everything in the home seemed to be a total loss before a volunteer firefighter asked the family if there was anything he should try to retrieve before the ceiling and walls collapsed inside the 130-year-old home. A friend of Barton's 17-year-old granddaughter, Summer, mentioned a blue gown she was planning to wear in the Miss Fairview Scholarship Pageant. Moments later, cheers erupted as the firefighter emerged with the drenched dress, covered in soot but not burned.
"And then the firefighter brought out a couple of photo albums that halfway survived," Barton added. "They’re completely burned and the plastic is melted on the pictures. You can’t peel off the pictures but we figure we can take new shots, pictures of the pictures, and make a new book.
"So that was really a wonderful moment, too."
They are all symbols of hope for the family who lost nearly everything.
"Everybody just did so much, and then as the day went on and we were standing in the street, so many people wanted to come up and do things for them. One lady brought a box of warm socks because our feet were cold," Barton said. "Just the thoughtfulness of the community.
The family currently lives in an Airbnb someone offered in nearby Mount Pleasant, and a GoFundMe page started by an aunt has raised nearly $2,000.
The fire marshal believes the cause of the fire was a circuit breaker and the number of space heaters they had plugged into it. Officials remind everyone to be careful as you try to keep warm during the rest of the winter.
