Three people displaced from home after early morning basement fire

IDAHO FALLS — Three people have been temporarily displaced from their home after an early morning basement fire Tuesday.

The structure fire happened on the 200 block of 11th Street in Idaho Falls just after 4:30 a.m. According to a news release from the Idaho Falls Fire Department, a resident called 911 and said they woke up to the smell of smoke from the basement of their home.

There were three adults— one man and two women— inside the home at the time of the fire. Everyone was able to safely get out of the house without any injuries.

When firefighters got to the single-story home, there was heavy smoke, but no fire was seen, the release said. Additionally, no smoke detectors were going off when firefighters arrived.

Crews were able to find and extinguish the fire by 4:50 a.m. Most of the fire was contained in one room in the basement, but there was heavy smoke damage throughout the home.

Idaho Falls Power and Intermountain Gas were dispatched to help secure utilities.

“The Idaho Falls Police Department assisted with evacuating residents from nearby homes and with blocking off a portion of 11th Street. Volunteers from the Chaplains of Idaho were requested to provide the displaced occupants with a temporary place to stay and any immediate needs,” the news release said.

Damages are estimated at approximately $50,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Kerry Hammon, a spokeswoman with the Idaho Falls Fire Department, said at least 20 people have been temporarily displaced from their homes in the last three months due to house fires in the Idaho Falls area.

The causes of the fires over the past few months have varied.

“We’re reminding people to make sure they have working smoke detectors and that they are being very vigilant with the most common culprits of fires in the winter, including space heaters, chimneys, unattended candles and overloaded electrical outlets,” said department fire inspector Jim Newton in a news release.