SALT LAKE CITY — The decision made by a group of boys in a close-knit Salt Lake City neighborhood on Friday night may have been a lifesaver.

And it was a pretty ordinary decision — to play outside, instead of inside.

In an exclusive report, KSL TV reporter Garna Mejia spoke to the kids that first spotted the blaze at 2135 South Oneida Street in Salt Lake City.

“I just remember smelling, like, smoke and fire and like, ‘who’s doing a barbeque?'” one child told Mejia.

Fire was in a detached garage. Thank you to the neighbor who alerted the family inside and activated 911. Their prompt action allowed us to confine the fire and protect the residents. SLC your support made our aggressive attack possible while we battled a 2nd alarm fire elsewhere pic.twitter.com/qIVjgDZspB

— Salt Lake City Fire Department (@slcfire) March 6, 2021

 

What the child saw was an automobile on fire in his neighbor’s garage. He said he ran inside and told an older child to call 911.

And then some of the other kids ran to tell their parents. One adult grabbed a fire extinguisher thinking he could help.

“But he immediately runs back out when he hears a boom,” one child told Mejia.

Firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames. 

And the neighbor whose garage was on fire? He’s grateful.  “They certainly saved the day for us,” Steve Neiderhauser said.

Hear from the children themselves in Garna Mejia’s report above.

 

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