Homeowner hospitalized after attempting to put out blaze

RIGBY — A pellet stove was the cause of a fire that sent a Rigby man to the hospital Friday evening, according to fire officials.

Central Fire District in Rigby was dispatched to the blaze at about 5 p.m., Chief Carl Anderson of Central Fire District said in a news release.

When engines arrived at the home near 4400 East and 318 North, the house had active flames on the main floor and in the basement, Anderson said.

The homeowner, who reportedly had used a fire extinguisher in the house and was attempting to reenter the home with a garden hose, was kept from doing so by the responding fire officer.

“We were able to put the fire out quickly,” Anderson stated in the news release. “There was considerable water, heat and smoke damage throughout the home.”

The homeowner was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Idaho Falls due to smoke inhalation.

Officials determined the cause of the fire to be a problem with the exhaust/venting system of a pellet stove in the home, Anderson said. The estimated damage to the home is $300,000.