Layton apartment fire leaves residents wondering what’s next
Oct 10, 2025, 9:23 PM | Updated: Oct 11, 2025, 12:52 pm
(American Red Cross of Utah)
(American Red Cross of Utah)
LAYTON — After an apartment building caught fire Friday morning in Layton 37 people have been displaced and are trying to figure out what comes next.
Everyone made it out of the building safely, with only a couple of people needing to go to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
“There were four first responders and one resident who suffered from smoke inhalation but all are doing well,” said Layton City Mayor Joy Petro said in a Facebook post.
The Red Cross help residents with what’s next
When the fire first started it was a choatic scene as people rushed to get outside. Many residents didn’t even have time to put socks or shoes on before running out in the rain.
Alex Putnam and Brayden Gillmore live in the complex and said their unit is okay, but they were among the dozens who had to wake up and quickly get outside.
“It’s still sad there’s families affected, and it could’ve been our apartment. there’s kids that live here. It’s just really sad,” said Putnam.
But they are both grateful for the fire department and help arriving just in time.
Sarah Marshall with the American Red Cross was at the scene shortly after the fire broke out helping the evacuees. She said she helped a family with two little kids.
“The two kids, they were pretty rattled. They said they had practiced fire drills at school but they were pretty scared,” said Marshall.
Volunteers are now working to keep a roof over the heads of the three dozen people displaced by the fire.
Marshall says the Red Cross evacuation center will be open until at least this evening and they will set up a shelter if any of the displaced need one.
“You kinda just see the deer in the headlights look. They don’t know what to do next,” Marshall said.
How to prevent and prepare for fires
While there has not been an official statement on what caused the fire, it has many wondering, “How do I prevent something like this from happening to me and my family?”
“If you’ve been contacted by a company on any device in your home that says there’s been a recall. follow the instructions of the recall and get that taken care of. You don’t want to put yourself in a dangerous situation,” said Black. “We’re all busy, and we’ve all [said] I’ll get to that later. I know I’ve said that. And it’s a mistake.”
Black also said to make sure devices are unplugged when not in use to prevent fires.
And in case a fire does start, a little preparation and planning can save lives.
Black recommends keeping a flashlight next to your bed, and creating a family plan in case of a fire.
“One or two way out of every room. And where are you going to meet when you when you get outside. One of the best things that a fire department can receive when they pull up on site is for somebody to be able to say ‘everyone is accounted for.’ And then at that point they can fight the fire.”
