SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 5, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — An early morning fire –possibly sparked by fireworks — destroyed eight automobiles and heavily damaged fences behind a Salt Lake City home Thursday.
Firefighters were called to a structure fire at 425 Wilson Ave. at about 12:35 a.m. When they arrived, they found the backyard, including the parked automobiles, engulfed in flames.
Neighbors told Gephardt Daily they’d heard a barrage of aerial fireworks shortly before the fire broke out sometime after midnight.
They said at one point flames were leaping 60 feet in the air.
Battalion Chief Kelly Carter, Salt Lake City Fire Department, said the fire was intense when crews arrived, burning not only the cars, but also nearby trees, tall grass and the fence lines adjoining neighbors’ properties.
The eight vehicles that burned were described by neighbors as “higher end” and were being stored for a friend of the people occupying the home.
Investigators have yet to determine the official cause of the backyard blaze.
Damage was estimated in excess of $100,000.
The fire call was one of hundreds dispatched across the Salt Lake Valley overnight. The vast majority were due firework sparked blazes caused by July 4th partiers.
