Watch the report HERE››
(KUTV) Layton police officers rescued a woman from her home after it caught fire Sunday morning, police confirm.
Layton police arrived on scene at about 2:20 a.m. Sunday to find a house near 1450 N. Church St. ablaze. A 46-year-old woman was trapped in an upstairs bedroom, screaming for help and coughing from the second-story window.
Two officers helped pull the woman from the window onto a 6-foot ladder, officials say.
“It’s almost like the light was shining down on it. I turned around and saw the ladder leaning up against the fence in her yard,” said Officer Joshua Lynch, who pulled her to safety. “She would have been pretty injured has she jumped from the window.”
Fire crews arrived on scene and extinguished the flames, which had destroyed much of the main level and some of the second level of the home.
Doug Britton with Layton Fire Department says working smoke alarms and good instructions from 911 dispatchers helped to save the woman’s live.
Britton says the woman disabled smoke alarms while she was making repairs to the home.
Investigators believe the fire caused $90,000 in damage. The Red Cross will help the woman find temporary accommodations.
Her three children were staying with relatives out of state at the time of the fire.
While authorities are still investigating, they are looking closely at “aged chandelier wiring” and an extension cord in the home’s living room, as well as a nearby bottle of cleaner than could have accelerated the fire.
“We can’t overstate this enough that each level of the home needs operational smoke alarms and recommend them in every sleeping room,” wrote Britton in a statement.
