OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) — An Ogden man is recounting the moments after illegal fireworks caused a grass fire that destroyed one home and damaged several others in his local neighborhood over July 4th weekend.
In an interview with ABC4, Leon Heward details being woken up by the sound of fireworks early Sunday morning.
“Well, about 12:15, a big bang woke me up, and I got up and, of course, looked out the windows, seeing the flame coming down the mountain,” Heward said. “I got everybody up and got out, and by that time, the fire department knocked on my front door.”
Heward went on to say that he has a gate at the side of the house that keeps locked. The fire department need to get it open so they could fight the fire from the backyard of his home.
“They wanted it open so they could come back in the back to fight the fire. Opened that up, and after I got that done, the fire department says, ‘Get gone, get lost,’ and that’s what I did.”
Heward took his family and drove away from his home, waiting until they got word that it was OK to return. They would be away for around four and a half hours before being allowed to go home. In reflecting on the moments he had to leave, Heward said he felt fear.
“We’re just glad that everybody is safe. I lost everything from by back wall clear on the mountain, but that can be replaced. The house couldn’t, and the fire department did save that,” Heward said. “Of course, my neighbor wasn’t as best off as I was because they lost their home. It caved it in.”
Heward also gives thanks to his neighbor, who refused to leave, instead spraying water on the northeast corner of Heward’s property as flames approached. Heward said that area didn’t burn like the rest.
“He was a trooper,” Heward said. “Well, the whole neighborhood. It’s funny how something like this happens, and though you may not know the people, but how all of a sudden, you’re all friends and family that have come together to help each other.”
The fire, being caused by illegal fireworks after hours, caused a different sentiment.
“There’s a place where they have the people that can watch it, take care of it, instead of doing it on the hillsides, where they were all warned north of Harrison Blvd. in Ogden, Utah, was a no-no for fireworks,” Heward said. “But they did it anyway.”
Read more about Sunday morning’s fire in Ogden here.
