RIVERTON, Utah — Three members of the Unified Fire Authority were injured while responding to a house fire in Riverton Saturday afternoon.
Fortunately, their injuries were minor.
UFA crews were dispatched around 12:53 p.m. to 1230 West 13200 South, where a garage fire was sparked by a car, according to UFA public information officer Benjamin Porter.
Porter said they were able to put the fire out relatively quickly, but then some flammable liquids inside the garage reignited. Three firefighters' protective clothing caught fire, and the flames were extinguished quickly after they exited the garage.
One firefighter was treated at the scene, while the other two were taken to the emergency room. Porter said all three are now "doing well."
"We want to just remind the public that firefighting is inherently dangerous," Porter said. "We remain vigilant; We wear our [personal protective equipment] for this exact reason. We know that when we go into places that there's going to be risk involved and we want to make sure that we do the best we can to make sure that we're prepared for these emergent situations."
One of the crew members whose gear caught fire was reportedly helped out by fellow firefighters, who jumped on him to smother and pat down the flames.
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"The members that swiftly acted and jumped on that firefighter to help extinguish that, I think that that is a notable act," Porter told reporters. " That's something that we should recognize them for."
The UFA spokesman added that this instance shows the true colors of these first responders.
"We live by a motto that we're going to risk a lot to save a lot when we see, you know, one of our loved ones or even a member of the public, that their life inevitably is in danger," Porter said. "We're going to do whatever we can to try and change that outcome. And that's ultimately what happened today — these firefighters acted so swiftly and they helped this member to be able to get that fire out."
