ROSE PARK — A townhouse fire that officials believe started in a utility room exploded to quickly damage the four-plex and displace all 14 residents there Wednesday.

Fire officials estimate damage at more than $100,000.

Shaleena Dimick, 16, was about to take a shower when her brother started shouting about a fire in the basement’s utility room, where family members had recently put a load of laundry in the dryer.

The family quickly evacuated from the townhouse at 1022 N. Victoria Way (940 West) just before 6 p.m. and alerted neighbors.

Dimick’s boyfriend ran back into the apartment several times to retrieve a cat and locate another that had gone missing in the chaos.

“I went to grab a bucket of water to put out the fire,” Dimick said. “But my mom stopped me. The fire had spread so much.”

By the time crews arrived, the fire had gone from the basement up the back wall and spread to a townhouse with a shared attic and caused significant fire and smoke damages to both places. Two townhouses sustained only smoke damage, said Salt Lake City Fire spokesman Scott Freitag.

Crews called out for a second alarm because of the extent of the fire and smoke drifting into the attic. The fire was contained within 25 minutes and fully doused after about an hour.

Dimick was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.

Officials are investigating the cause of the fire but believe it originated in the basement utility room of Dimick’s townhouse. The family said they believe the fire started from the dryer, adding that they heard some type of explosion.

“I’ve lost everything,” said Debra Dimick, Shaleena’s mother, while holding a cat in her arms. “I don’t know what to do.”

Debra Dimick said the family had lived there about a year but hadn’t been able to afford fire insurance.

“I was going to get it next month, but now it’s too late,” she said as she burst into tears.

Freitag said the main floor of the original townhouse is compromised, and the Dimicks and residents in the adjacent home will be unable to live there until repairs are made. Remaining residents should be able to return within a couple days.

Story found in the [1] Deseret News.