Coalville Shed Explosion Sends One to Burn Center With Critical Injuries

A shed explosion Sunday evening on East 150 South in Coalville left one man with third-degree burns across his arms, legs and face and triggered an immediate helicopter airlift to a regional burn center in the Salt Lake Valley, capping a roughly four-hour stretch in which North Summit Fire District crews battled three separate fires across northern Summit County.

Crews were dispatched to the property at the end of East 150 South, just northeast of Beacon Hill Park, at approximately 7:45 p.m. First responders found a detached shed had blown up and one person inside had sustained what officials described as critical burn injuries. Summit County Sheriff's Office shift logs note that investigators suspect butane could be a contributing factor, though the exact cause remains under investigation.

Battalion Chief Tyler Rowser said the nature of the burns dictated the transport decision immediately. "We immediately launched an air medical helicopter at that time, knowing that most burn patients need to get to the Salt Lake Valley quicker than we can provide ground transport," Rowser said.

The Coalville explosion was the third fire North Summit crews managed in that window. At approximately 4 p.m., firefighters were dispatched to an agricultural burn on River Bend Road west of Interstate 80 between Hoytsville and Wanship, where the fire had spread beyond its intended area and jumped the Weber River after getting into riverside trees. While crews were still in mopup on that scene, a motorist called dispatch at approximately 5:30 p.m. to report a fire on East Henefer Road. That call temporarily pulled personnel off the Wanship operation; upon arrival, crews determined a property owner had the controlled agricultural burn in hand and no further suppression was needed. The Coalville call came in as crews were finishing the Wanship mopup just over two hours later.

The overlapping calls drew mutual-aid support from three neighboring agencies: Park City Fire District, South Summit Fire District, and Morgan County Fire Department.

"These incidents highlight how quickly conditions can change, especially with agricultural burns," Rowser said. "We appreciate our partner agencies, Park City Fire District, South Summit Fire District, and Morgan County Fire Department, for their support and want to remind residents to take extra precautions and ensure fires are properly managed and monitored at all times."

The district plans to ask the Summit County Council this week to enact fire restrictions in unincorporated parts of the county beginning May 1, with similar requests going to the Henefer Town Council and Coalville City Council. If adopted, the restrictions would govern agricultural burns and other outdoor burning across the district's service area, which stretches from mile marker 150 on I-80 to the Wyoming border. Fire officials signaled those requests could come sooner than May 1 if spring drying conditions continue to accelerate.