By Kendra Evensen
kevensen@journalnet.com
FORT HALL — A 78-year-old Fort Hall man died in a house fire on Friday night.
Fort Hall Fire Chief Brian Briggs said Monday they were still investigating the fire, which led to the death of Wayne George, but nothing appeared to be suspicious. They believe the fire started in the garage area, but haven’t been able to pinpoint the exact cause.
Briggs said someone in a vehicle traveling on Interstate 15 spotted the fire on North Bannock Road and notified emergency officials around 11 p.m.
By the time firefighters arrived on scene, about three-quarters of the house was already involved in the fire, Briggs said.
“The winds pushed it through the house pretty quickly,” he said, adding that there were sustained winds of about 15 miles per hour that night.
George died at the scene of the fire, Briggs said, and the home, which he occupied alone, was a total loss. No other homes in the area were threatened.
Firefighters stayed on scene for roughly 15 hours as they worked to put out the flames, perform some cleanup and begin their investigation, Briggs said, adding that firefighters from Blackfoot, Shelley and Chubbuck assisted.
Due to the extensive damage to the home, Briggs didn’t know if there were any fire alarms at the residence. But he encouraged homeowners to make sure they have such equipment in place following Friday’s tragedy.
“The big things to remember are to make sure they have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (detectors),” he said, adding that they also need to ensure the equipment is working properly and that they replace the batteries at least every six months.