PROVO, Utah — Officials say one person died Friday morning after a reported explosion at a Provo home led to a two-alarm fire.
Provo Fire officials said the incident happened near 1602 West and 1050 North at around 6:30 a.m.
"This was in an outbuilding that's attached to the carport of the home," explained Captain Sam Armstrong with Provo City Fire. "They're in the process of trying to figure out the cause and origin."
Callers reported an explosion at the residence, which triggered a 2-alarm fire response.
Neighbor Jed Francis was in the shower when he realized something was very wrong.
“There was one, big explosion and two smaller ones,” Francis told FOX 13 News.
Officials said an elderly couple lives in the home and has lived there for roughly six decades. The individual who died was a resident of the home, fire officials said.
When a Provo Police Officer responded to the call, he found a man with serious injuries, officials explained. The officer suffered minor burns trying to rescue the man.
The officer was treated on scene and released.
"This is in a great area of Provo," Captain Armstrong said. "This is uncharacteristic for Provo City and this is an unfortunate event."
Details about what started the fire were not made available but Francis thinks he has a good idea of what happened.
“My guess is, is that he went in and got cold, he’s always up at 4:30 or 5 o’clock in the morning and lit the space heater and was getting warm and that’s what ignited it,” he said.
The identity of the person who died in the incident was not disclosed pending notification of kin.
