4 people hospitalized in critical condition following house fire in Idaho Falls
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The following is a joint news release from the Idaho Falls Fire Department and Idaho Falls Police Department.
IDAHO FALLS – At 5:40 a.m. on July 5, the Idaho Falls Fire Department and Idaho Falls Police Department were dispatched to a structure fire located on the 1000 block of Terry Drive in Idaho Falls. The call came into dispatch from one of the neighbors who stated that the garage door was on fire and that they were knocking on the door but nobody was answering.
Two IFPD officers arrived on scene at approximately 5:43 a.m. and reported that the two-story brick home was fully engulfed in flames and that they could hear screaming from inside the home. One of the officers entered through the front door and was able to get one adult female and one adult male outside. The other officer went around the back of the home to assist one adult male and one adult female out of the second story bedroom window. Officers provided aid to the four occupants until EMS arrived.
Initially, two engines, two ambulances, the ladder truck and a battalion chief were dispatched. The fire was quickly upgraded to a 3-alarm fire and two more engines and three more ambulances were dispatched. Idaho Falls Power and Intermountain Gas were also dispatched to provide assistance with utilities.
The fire had extended from the garage, into the main floor, upstairs into the bedrooms, and into the attic, eaves and roof.
Firefighters made an aggressive attack on the fire from the garage and the front of the home while others searched the home for additional occupants. There were no other occupants inside the home; however, they did find a dog in a bedroom that was killed in the fire.
All four occupants of the home were transported by ambulance to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in critical condition. The two IFPD officers went to EIRMC for evaluation for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Both officers were treated and released.
The cause of the fire and estimated damages are unknown at this time. IFFD’s Fire Prevention and Investigation team is investigating the cause of the fire.
IFFD and IFPD extends our sympathies and condolences to those involved in the fire and to their families and friends.